There's a door, but there's no key
by Coffeebeads
Summary: She was captured. She was confined to a small room. She was tortured both physically and mentally. Worst of all, she lost her powers, and still she is made to fight for Slade. If the summary hasn't convinced you to read it, read the reviews.
1. Chapter 1

There's a door, but there is no key

**Summary -** Trapped in the cold abyss of a melancholy dungeon holding out hope for no man is a young girl stained with her own blood. The only thing that keeps her sane is a music box she knows nothing about.

**(A/N - Hi guys! I'm back. I thought this might be a good read, so I wrote it. I'm trying to beat my own record of 82 reviews, so I'll personally reply to and mention you in the next chapter. First reviewer will have a chapter dedicated to them so _review as soon as you finish reading!)_**

**Disclaimer; I do not own Teen Titans**

Chapter 1

All was going wrong that day. Co-operation was lacking and friendship was sinking. Last night they were woken up before the new day even began for a surprise attack by Red X and not until he escaped with some gadgets from the evidence room did they get any sleep, at 3 am.

If that was not stirring enough, it was games night that night as they had agreed several months ago. They were to drop whatever we were doing to come together every week and play together. There was no getting out of it and the game must go through, through better or worse.

"Na-ah! That's not fair! You moved 7 spaces _not 6 spaces! You're totally cheating!"_ Beastboy yelled angrily.

"No I did not, I was standing on the power plant before and as you can see, the Go space is 6 spaces away!" replied Cyborg in a similar tone.

"You're just avoiding Robin's Mayfair coz he's got a hotel there. You can't afford to stay the night at that hotel!" shrieked Beastboy.

The fighting continued.

"Raven, please, where do you wish to stay the night? Maybe all of us can travel to the same hotel together?" Starfire suggested. It seemed a good idea to her for she did not want to get lost by herself in a place she have never heard of before.

Beastboy stopped arguing and burst out laughing and rolling on the floor. Cyborg chuckled full heartedly, "Star, you don't actually stay in the hotel!"

"Not that you _would _want to stay in Cyborg's manky Old Mill Road!" commented Beastboy. Cyborg scrunched up his nose at the remark which only made Beastboy laugh harder and grip his splitting sides.

It was Robin's turn and so far in the game he has been doing very well. "Raven, would you like to make a trade? How about my red one for your green one?" suggested Robin holding up his card and gesturing to her own like a door-to-door salesman may gesture his ware.

"He makes a fair bargain, you already have one red and collecting them _is _the aim of the game, is it not?" Starfire added.

"Star, the greens cost more than the reds. It's hardly fair," Raven replied.

It was the same all the way through until four hours later they were finished with Robin winning after finally beating Cyborg who refused to leave jail. Starfire came in dead last after having mortgaged all of her cards and sold some to Beastboy.

Everyone was about to go out to eat when the alarm went off screaming through the building. Acting quickly, everyone set off to the Golden Gate Bridge where trouble was arousing. Slade.

Robin was quick to make orders, "Raven, Beastboy, you two cut off the traffic; make sure the citizens are as far away as possible. Cyborg, Star, Attack!" and almost instantaneously a dozen of Slade's robots were knocked to the ground. Slade on the other hand was no where to be seen.

Starfire had just gotten through a crowd of the robots when another swarmed up on her, "They seem to be very persistent," she shouted to no one in particular.

"Just keep fighting them off," Robin shouted from inside another group of metal.

Soon Raven and Beastboy joined them. They fought with great valor and persistence equal to that of the robots. But the robots stopped eventually. The Titans were confused about this change in motion. Suddenly all became clear. Standing at one side of the chaos was Slade with his arm around Starfire's neck and a gun to her head.

Starfire stayed still and in shock. She didn't want to be anywhere near to Slade but she didn't want a painful instant death either.

Robin was about to move towards her but his instincts told him not to. "Don't move a muscle, Titans. You don't want your little friend her to get hurt, now would you?" boomed an all too familiar voice.

Robin's face showed fear. Fear laced with hatred. He whispered her name softly under his breath.

"Now what do you say? Her fate in my hands, or her blood on yours?" Slade questioned spitefully. No one replied. No one could.

The arm around Starfire's neck tightened so much so that she had to lace her own hands around it to allow her to inhale at all. An odd tear ran down her cheek, most probably because of the tight grip on her windpipe. "No answer," Slade mused, "Do you care so little for your friend's life?"

Robin narrowed his eyes, "Don't you dare hurt her," he spat.

"Robin, you know how much I would love to see the hurt in your eyes as you watch the light leave hers, but I do not intend to hurt her. My plan is simple. But not for you to know."

Starfire opened her eyes to see fear in all of her friends' eyes and she looked up to see Slade with a smile in his. She couldn't stand it.

Giving out an unexpected battle cry, she tightened her hands around Slade's arm and threw him right over her in one fluid motion. It did not go as well as she hoped. A bang rang through the air as a bullet shot out of the gun. "Starfire!" someone shouted from amongst the piles of broken robots.

For a moment, Starfire paused in her upright position, the moment didn't last long. The bullet didn't take long to acknowledge itself against her body. She quickly fell forward onto her knees and held her right arm close to her as if protecting it from further harm. The pain was intense, like nothing Starfire had ever experienced before. She remained on the hard ground wincing in pain.

The Titans would have leapt in to help but they were too late. Slade had gotten up and stood between Starfire and the others. "We'll be seeing you," he stated blankly and turned to Starfire.

Grabbing her by the hair, he pulled her up and dragged her to one side of the bridge. He paused to look at Starfire who was unable to do anything to resist him. She squeezed her eyes shut in pain and allowed him to take her.

Slade then looked over at the Titans who were edging towards him wearing angry expressions and looks of concern.

They had birdarangs and ebony magic and a cannon blaster and a tiger but could do nothing. One false move and Starfire could get full blast of whatever they were to throw. One false move could send Starfire hurtling off the edge of the bridge.

Slade took their hesitation as opportunity and he dove down and out of sight towards the waters underneath the bridge with Starfire. This move took everyone by surprise, when they got to the side of the bridge; there was no one there to save. Not even a splash in the water.

Not a splash. But a faint stain of blood upon the water.

**(A/N – Wow I love that ending, more coming soon.**

**P.S. REVIEW PLEASE!)**

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	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone, I'm gonna get straight to the story today,**

I dedicate this chapter to **'****x Step On Me x****'**For her general awesomeness and support. Oh and thanks also to '**Crimson** **Black****' **for your lovely review.

**Now, on with the chapter!**

Starfire sat up against a wall of a big metal cage. The bars were rusty and rough with pointy spikes sticking out at each crossover of metal. Outside the cage were boxes and crates enclosed in a warehouse like building. She gazed out spitefully at her captor. He gazed back triumphantly at his prize.

Slade paced around the cage with his arms folded behind him. Starfire's pain filled eyes followed his movement. He stopped and looked her over as she sat against the wall protectively nursing her injured arm. She quickly turned her attention back to Slade, she scowled at him, "Planning to be rebellious, are we?" he asked, "Let's see how rebellious you'll be when I'm through with you.

"Your plan shall never work!" Starfire shouted, "My friends know you well enough to know where to look!"

"As memory serves, I would normally execute my plans in Jump City clock tower, or a warehouse, correct?" Starfire didn't answer, "Look around you. Where do you think we are?" she didn't respond, she just kept staring at her arm where the bullet pierced her skin. In truth, she had looked at her surrounding the moment she was shoved into the building and was sad to realize that everything was unfamiliar to her. "Your friends will assume to look for me in the places I normally go. When they find I'm not there, they won't know where to look. They won't find you. Your faith won't hold out."

Starfire ran her slender fingers across the bullet wound and allowed a tear to flow out of her shut eyelids, but only when she knew Slade had left the area. _I must show no weakness, _she thought to herself, _show no defeat._

Slade had walked away from where Starfire was held captive. He looked back just before he left to see a tear gently making its path down her cheek. "My plan is working nicely," he said to himself out of Starfire's hearing range. "Soon she will learn not to trust me. In time she will join me. As will all of the Titans, or be destroyed."

He walked deeper into the room he had entered, "Tomorrow, I will set her to work for me."

Meanwhile Robin, Raven, Beastboy and Cyborg searched tirelessly throughout all of Jump City. They searched high and low, in every building, and as Slade had quite correctly predicted, they started with the clock tower and the run-down warehouses by the docks. "It's no use. Starfire's not here," Raven said as she floated down from the highest reaches of the last warehouse.

"Neither's Slade," Cyborg added as he joined Robin and Beastboy who had just finished looking in the nearest warehouse, unsuccessfully.

"We have to keep looking," Robin yelled. In pure rage, he smashed his fist against the corner of the building sending some brick dust into the air.

"But where can we start?" asked Beastboy.

"The obvious approach might be useful," Raven commented blankly holding her communicator in her hand.

Starfire opened her eyes after a few minutes which seemed like hours. Hours of ear piercing silence and pain thumping through her whole right arm. Upon opening her eyes, nothing much changed. The tiny drop of water that hung on the ceiling of the enclosure had finally built up enough weight to drop from where it was first created. This is what woke Starfire from her daze, the drop of water landing on her shoulder.

Starfire looked down at her shoulder and then down at her forearm where the blood was still fresh. Looking at it, the bullet didn't seem so deep. _Maybe it would be best if I were to remove it?_ thought Starfire. The single thought sent a shiver up her spine. _I must, _she persuaded herself, _I must show no weakness. If it is for the best, then I have to do it. I do not know how long it will take my friends to find me, but until then, I have to survive the best I can. _

Summoning up all of her courage, Starfire took her blood stained arm in her hand and positioned her thumb and forefinger on either side of the bullet wound. Wincing at the pain she knew would soon come; she squeezed the two fingers against the skin. The bullet made its way upwards and soon Starfire heard it 'ching' as it made contact with the hard stone ground.

With her arm now bullet-free, a fresh stream of blood was released and with it a new wave of pain. Starfire held her arm by her head, 'above the heart' as Robin had explained when going through the emergency routines, and then Starfire pressed her thumb against the wound. _Robin is quite correct, it does hurt a lot._ But Starfire quickly found that the feeling of pain was replaced with a numb sensation and the blood stream was completely cut off. All there was to do now was to sit and wait.

But sitting and waiting soon proved uncomfortable and tiring. _Lying and sleeping would suit me better._ And with that she spread her body against the wall and allowed her subconscious to take over. She had an empty, dreamless sleep that night.

The other Titans didn't get any sleep that night. They were still scouring the city like a pack of hunting dogs, looking desperately for any hint of Starfire's whereabouts. As much as any of them would like to lie down and get some sleep, they all knew that they couldn't have any. They wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that one of them was in the hands of an enemy and could even be dead now.

The communicator lead nowhere, wherever Starfire was, the signals were cut off. Until Starfire tried to contact them, or Slade contacted them, the best they could to was look the old fashion way.

Raven tried to find Starfire mentally but could only discover that Starfire was sleeping quite peacefully, to everyone's relief. The only other thing that Raven found out was that no electricity was in use in Starfire's general area, meaning that Cyborg had no lead and could not find out if there was a great mass of electricity or robot parts or anything like that being delivered to an isolated area in Jump City.

They returned to the Titan's tower to think things through. "So, we now know that Slade isn't planning to send a legion of robots to take over Jump City and in turn build up a force so powerful that he could take the world with an iron fist," Beastboy explicated.

"He hasn't sent us any communiqué, maybe he's not trying to use her as hostage," suggested Cyborg.

"Or maybe that's what Slade wants us to think," commented Robin.

"Starfire's in no harm worse then the gunshot wound that we saw her take," Raven said as she sipped her herbal tea.

"It's possible that Slade doesn't want, or _need_ to hurt Starfire at all," Cyborg threw in to the conversation.

"Or maybe that's what Slade wants us to think," interrupter Robin once more.

"Could it be that Slade's actually Starfire's evil mentor in disguise attempting to take Starfire back to Tamaran where he can then rule the planet through Starfire and slowly and secretly poison her until she is dead and then he'll inherit the planet which he'll use to go to war against all of those who stand up against him until all of the Tamaranians are dead?" Beastboy suggested all in one breathe. His face was blue from the lack of oxygen but quickly turned back to green when he was finished. Everyone just stared at him.

Robin chose to break the awkward silence which followed. "Or, maybe that's what Slade wants us to think?" he slowly and very awkwardly suggested.

"You don't think that Slade's planning to turn Starfire against us? He's tried it before," Raven speculated.

"It could be, but maybe he just wants us to think that," Robin added once more.

"Dude, maybe Slade wants us to think that he just wants us to think that so we think that it's unlikely that he would go through with it, but then he _will _actually go through with it coz he knows that we'll think that he just wants us to think that," Beastboy summed up leaving everyone highbrowed.

"Man, what you taking about?" Cyborg questioned disbelievingly.

"I dunno, I was hoping you'd know."

"Say that again, Beastboy. I think you got something there," Robin said as he grabbed a mug of hot chocolate off of the counter.

"I _had_ something there, and I would say it again but honestly, I've forgotten what I just said."

Starfire had just woken to find herself in the same dark enclosure where she fell asleep. Slade was nowhere to be seen. _Maybe this is just what I need for my escape?_ thought Starfire. She got up and walked over to the metal bars that kept her in. She traced her finger along a rusty bar. It came to a crossroad where it joined to a horizontal bar with a small spike coming out. Starfire positioned her hands around two vertical bars and tried to force them apart, but to no avail. Something was somehow stopping her from using her powers of strength.

Starfire stepped back and raised her hand. But no starbolt would come. Now she was beginning to panic. She raised her hand once more but to the same result. She then thought to try to summon up eye beams but her eyes wouldn't even light up. She practically threw herself at the bars, throwing everything she could but nothing would work.

"Having fun?" asked a smooth voice from her left. Slade, once again come to lighten her day.

"What have you done to me?" Starfire shouted at him from within her enclosure.

Slade simply chuckled in a low, mocking manner, "Wouldn't you like to know."

Starfire collapsed to her knees and swallowed a sob, "Why do you torment me?" she demanded through infrequent sobs.

Slade walked closer to the cage, "Dear girl, do you really think that I enjoy what I do? I have gone through many an apprentice and all have turned on me," he thought back to Robin and then Terra, "Some more than others," he turned away from the cage and removed one of his gloves to reveal a skeleton of a hand. Quickly slipping his glove back on, he turned back to Starfire.

"Then why do you do this? If you want an apprentice, you should seek one from the evil side instead of turning friends against each other. Our friendship is stronger than your evil!"

"You misunderstand me," Slade said mysteriously, "I'm not looking to hiring you as apprentice, I'm looking to help you." Starfire was taken back by this comment, "You see, I've been watching you and I knew that this would happen eventually. Let me teach you a lesson. Most Tamaranians are born with the same powers, there are exceptions of course. Your sister for example, when she was newly born she could not fly. Neither could your grandmother. You were lucky; you have all of your powers and also full control of them. But over your time on Earth, you were pushing your luck."

Starfire was confused. How did Slade come to know so much about her planet?

"Most Tamaranians have powers; few use them more than they need. The powers which you possess are mainly used for battling enemies. Being the crime fighter you have come to be, you use your powers far more than any other Tamaranian, and you have far more enemies. You were running your power supply dry. It was inevitable that you would soon be unable to use them at all."

Starfire's eyes grew wide. _Have I really lost my powers?_

Slade continued once again, "After all that battle, all that your system needed to crash was a slight shock. Let's say, a gunshot?"

"You said that you wanted to help me. Disabling me from using my powers would not help me at all," protested Starfire.

"Now that's where you're wrong. Rumor has it that a great evil is coming to invade earth. If you were granted powerless when the evil attacked, you would be in a daze to why you couldn't use your power, you would be a great target. Your friends would also be confused and the great evil will be spoilt for choice on who to attack first. All I'm doing is making it clear on what was to happen," Slade took a key from his pocket, "and to offer training to prepare you for hand-to-hand combat. You wish to be helpful to your friends, don't you?" he asked while slipping the key into the lock. Starfire looked up at him; she didn't know how to react.

Slade reached out his hand to help her up. Hesitantly, she accepted it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi, I'd like to thank everyone who read and especially everyone who reviewed!**

**x Step On Me x****, thanks for seeing me through the first chapters and reviewing me for both, (everyone who reviewed the story, I'd really appreciate if you review for every chapter so I know you're still with me, thanks).**

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**Skitly**

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**You guys rock, and thanks to all of those who have put my story on favs, **

**Starsoffire**

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**blAckIcEwOlfIE**

**And now to the story!**

"_It's no use. Starfire's not here," Raven said as she floated down from the highest reaches of the last warehouse._

"_Neither's Slade,"_

"_You don't think that Slade's planning to turn Starfire against us? He's tried it before," Raven speculated. _

_Starfire stepped back and raised her hand. But no starbolt would come. She raised her hand once more but to the same result. She then thought to try to summon up eye beams but her eyes wouldn't even light up. She practically threw herself at the bars, throwing everything she could but nothing would work._

"_You were running your power supply dry. It was inevitable that you would soon be unable to use them at all…Rumor has it that a great evil is coming to invade earth. All I'm doing is making it clear on what was to happen," Slade took a key from his pocket, "and to offer training to prepare you for hand-to-hand combat. You wish to be helpful to your friends, don't you?" he asked while slipping the key into the lock. Starfire looked up at him; she didn't know how to react. _

_Slade reached out his hand to help her up. Hesitantly, she accepted it. _

Starfire clambered up from where she sat on the floor. Slade firmly gripped her hand and stepped out of the cage. He stepped to the side to let Starfire through. She clambered out rather clumsily and gave Slade a nervous glance. He caught it. Slade quickly landed a hand across her cheek and left it there for a moment. The contact was soft and nothing like a slap but it was so unexpected that it almost felt like one. Starfire pulled away and tried to resist whatever Slade meant to do but he was too overwhelming. He gazed into her eyes and briskly ran his hand down her cheek. Starfire looked down and moved her head to the side. She grinded her teeth together once and hesitantly looked back at Slade. "You have much potential as a fighter, girl. All you need now is trust. Flinching is not an option," and with that he hastily made his leave. Starfire inhaled deeply.

For a second she reprocessed what had just happened but then a new thought entered her mind. She was all alone.

Looking around, she realized for the first time how big and empty the place was. Starfire walked towards the entrance of the dwelling but instead, was met with a spinning kick at her legs. She came falling down. Slade stood behind her, "Lesson number one; be cautious." Starfire got up quickly. Giving out a loud battle cry, she launched herself towards Slade with a brigade of well delivered kicks and punches; the only problem was that none of them hit their target.

Slade easily avoided each and every one of them, "Lesson number two, don't get too cocky. Wait for the opponent to make the first move."

She threw a variety of different moves at him, all failing, and managed to push him into a corner. She paused, panting triumphantly. But suddenly, Slade jumped athletically over her and landed right behind her. He grabbed one of her arms and twisted it behind her back. "Lesson number three, know what the enemy plans to do next."

**With Raven, Cyborg, Beastboy and Robin…**

"So, we all assume that Slade's gonna turn Star against us," Cyborg began, everyone gave slight nods, "And we know that he's very persuasive," Cyborg added a little sheepishly.

"So, in other words, we're boned," Beastboy sighed.

Robin stood up, "No. We're not boned. Starfire wouldn't give into Slade's plans. She's stronger than that. She believes in us!"

Cyborg enthusiastically got up and raised a fist in determination, "Well then, let's give her something to believe in!"

Raven inwardly gasped. Her powers sensed what had just happened. The same intense feeling of disappointment and failure that Raven felt now was the same intense feeling that Starfire had just been consumed by. This could only mean one thing. _No,_ she thought, _Starfire, how could you cave in so easily?_ Raven knew that Starfire had given in to Slade's plans but maybe the Teen Titans can change her mind. Raven got up and sighed. "We'll need to find her first. Wherever she is, I just hope she's ok."

They all took off towards the door.

**Back to Starfire and Slade…**

Slade had left her in the cave where she sat defeated against a wall. There was no escape. Robots were guarding the entrance. The Titans had defeated them before with superb ease but now that Starfire was granted powerless, she had as much hope of escape as a human would.

All she did for the next half hour was sit and stare. She stared at everything. The pattern of the robotics that blocked her only means of escape, the stain on her glove that was caused by the wound, the wound itself. There was little to entertain her, but this gave her a chance to think.

_I am truly powerless, _she kept saying to herself,_ my friends will find me,_ she kept reassuring herself, _I will be free,_ she kept hoping._ Slade will suffer._

A metal-to-floor sound echoed through the dank building. Starfire looked onwards to see a large mallet lying on the floor. Slade stood in front of it. "You will start by building upper body strength." Starfire got up and walked towards him rather reluctantly, "You shall take this mallet and use it to break rocks." He briskly left the building past the pair of robots.

Starfire gripped the mallet with one hand but found it too heavy to lift, but with both hands, and a lot of force, she hauled up the mallet and dragged it to where Slade had left. Then she learnt that they were on a very secluded mountainous island, where no other land could be seen. Having been blindfolded upon her arrival, she had not known that before. But there she stood mouth agape. For in front of her lay hundreds upon hundred of miniature boulder-like rocks.

Up and down the mallet would go but not much damage was done. Slade stood at the sidelines and was growing impatient. "Put more enthusiasm into it," he ordered. Slade walked up to Starfire and took the mallet from her. He wielded it high above his head and it came crashing down onto a rock with almost instantly turned into fine dust. "You lift from your legs," he stated brusquely and handed her the mallet before walking back into the building which stood in the middle of the island. Starfire looked at the mallet and continued hitting the rocks.

Starfire wiped her forehead after having destroyed the twentieth rock. The sun was high in the sky and Slade was nowhere to be seen. Starfire would have made a break for it had it not been for the robots guarding her. Exhaling deeply, she turned down towards the mallet and hauled it off the floor. Starfire gave a slight cry to give momentum to the hit and the mallet successfully smashed the rock to smithereens. Something behind it caught Starfire's eye. There lay a small, brown book that bore the insignia 'BD'.

Starfire furrowed her eyebrows at it and lay the mallet down to pick the book up. It looked just like a diary. It had a little lock on one side of it. Rather than trying to open it, Starfire laid it by the entrance of the building and got back to breaking rocks.

From one window of the building, Slade was watching Starfire carefully. He saw her picking something up and laying it by the building. Slade chuckled. "A great rival, a heroin, doing what they are made to do in jail. How ironic." He turned around and strode over to the other side of the room where the cage was. By it was a table, and on the table was a small box. Slade opened the box to reveal a couple of syringes in clear wrapping. He picked up the one that wasn't wrapped and he snapped it in half. "And she doesn't even know what's going on."

**Back to Robin, Raven, Beastboy and Cyborg…**

They all stood idle in their various places. Cyborg was searching at the docks, Raven was taking another look at the warehouses, Robin was in the central part of Jump City and Beastboy was flying overhead looking for any suspicious activity. They kept constant contact with each other via the communicators.

"Nope, nothing here," came Raven's voice through everyone's communicators. "Nothing's been here since the last hour we checked."

"Fly up and join Beastboy, maybe you'll see something that he's missing," Robin suggested.

"Can't I just fly up there and look on my own?" Raven almost pleaded. Robin took a moment to consider what she meant by it, "We'll cover more ground," Raven added.

"Ok." Robin looked around the streets where people walked back and forth past him. Some gave him odd stares, others whispered amongst each other, the name 'Starfire' was mentioned. Robin frowned, "What are the chances of Slade using the most densely populated part of Jump City?" he asked no one specific through the communicators.

"That might be what Slade thinks we'd think," Beastboy chirped in.

"Here we go again," Cyborg put down his inbuilt communicator arm and looked around. "That's strange," he said to himself. "Since when was that island there?" Looking ahead, there was indeed an island in the far away horizon. In all the time he had come to spend in Jump City he had never before seen that island there. Cyborg raised his arm and started to do a background check.

Beastboy circled the city for the fifth time with no more success. During the hour he spent searching, he had done nothing more than exhaust himself. He landed on an ice-cream stand by the beach and ran his seagull beak through the soft white feathers on the inside of his wing. He only did that for a minute because something else caught his attention. Somewhere above the sea, someone was sending a distress signal. Beastboy caught it and flew in the direction.

Straight ahead of him, he saw who had sent the signal. It was in fact, a seagull. This seagull was being attacked by a big blackish brown bird. Beastboy flew hastily between them. The big bird sprang back and was about to go speeding towards them when all of a sudden, the little green seagull morphed into a large pterodactyl. The big bird flew squawking towards the beach. Beastboy and the seagull were left hovering in midair.

The seagull, however grateful it might have been, flew away in the same manner as the big black bird did from the sheer sight of something as big and green as Beastboy was.

Beastboy shrugged and flew a full circle before turning back towards the city as a casual nonchalant seagull. But he stopped just before taking off because something caught his eye. There in the horizon was an island that he had never seen there before. Beastboy flew over to a large rock that was formed rising just above the water level and sat down there. He morphed into a human and settled himself in the most comfortable position he could manage and got out the communicator. "Hey guys, was there ever an island just off the coast of Jump City that isn't ours?"

"No, I don't think so, why?" came Robin's reply.

"Coz there is now."

"Yeah, he's right. I'm at the harbor now and I can see both the island and BB," came Cyborg's voice through the communicator. Beastboy looked over at the harbor and he saw Cyborg's idle figure standing there waving. Beastboy waved back.

"That sounds typically like Slade," Robin commented.

"How could Slade create an island for a secret hideout?" Raven wondered, "And why? It's not the most obscure place to keep someone captive."

"Maybe it's not Slade," suggested Slade.

"It does look pretty Slade-ish."

Robin paused for a moment, "Titans investigate. If it is where Slade's hiding, then it's where we'll find Star."


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone, I'm back, and sooner than expected! I'd like to thank **

**x Step On Me x**** and ****Starsoffire**

**You guys are the absolute best; I dedicate this chapter and a cookie to you!**

**I would just like to say that from Monday to Friday next week I'm going on a school trip to Swanage and won't be able to update. But I'm updating now instead! Enjoy!**

"_You don't think that Slade's planning to turn Starfire against us? He's tried it before," Raven speculated. _

"_You were running your power supply dry. It was inevitable that you would soon be unable to use them at all…"_

"_You shall take this mallet and use it to break rocks."_

_Something caught Starfire's eye. There lay a small, brown book that bore the insignia 'BD'._

_Slade opened the box to reveal a couple of syringes in clear wrapping. He picked up the one that wasn't wrapped and he snapped it in half. "And she doesn't even know what's going on."_

_There was an island in the far away horizon. In all the time he had come to spend in Jump City he had never before seen that island there_

_Robin paused for a moment, "Titans investigate. If it is where Slade's hiding, then it's where we'll find Star."_

Starfire was getting much faster at breaking rocks, it felt as easy as it would have with her powers. With every swing of the mallet came many flying shards of rocks. Starfire had learnt to look away when they came airborne.

Slade firmly placed his hand on her shoulder. "I think you're ready. We have to leave this place soon." Slade turned around and walked calmly over to the building.

"Why?" Starfire asked. He stopped and turned back.

"You may not remember there ever being an island here. That's because there wasn't one. There is a thing called Global Warming. The increase of temperature has been causing the sea level to lower and thus this island came to be. It only appeared last week and I've been monitoring it. We have thirty minutes before the tide level buries the island again," he walked over to a blue motorboat tied to one side of the island. "Do you want to be here when it does?"

Starfire stopped in mid walk and ran over to the building to grab the book. She quickly ran back to where Slade had just sat down on the boat, which she had just noticed only had one long seat. Slade patted the small stretch of leather just behind him. "There's no lifejacket. Hold on tight," he warned.

Starfire reluctantly sat down behind him and grimaced at him. He unexpectedly started up the engine and Starfire had to force her hands loosely around his waist so that she wouldn't fall off.

The speedboat left a trail of foam that quickly disappeared. Starfire's gaze followed the dying ripples back to the island which was slowly submerging into the sea. She sighed. If it was anyone but Slade, she thought that she'd be enjoying it.

**Back to the other Teen Titans…**

Robin, Raven walked along the harbor looking for Cyborg. "Hey guys!" came a voice from behind him, "I just talked to this man who loans boats. They normally don't come cheep but seeing this is an emergency, he lent us one for free." Cyborg indicated to a large speed boat with four seats floating at the end of the harbor.

"Great," Robin got an orange lifejacket on and hurried into the lifeboat. He was closely followed by Raven, and Cyborg who had already had a lifejacket on. "What could you find out about this island?"

"Only that it wasn't there before. And that there's some activity going on there."

"Like what?" asked Raven.

"Like temporary building materials being transported there. Nothing fancy just as a shelter. My scanners wouldn't let me check for life signals; too easy to get a heartbeat confused with a seagull," Cyborg answered.

The speedboat started up and moved away from the harbor. They were in the water for no less than 5 minutes before a profoundly green seagull flew down and sat down in the empty seat as Beastboy. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked.

"We're gonna investigate the island," Cyborg announced.

"Too late. It sunk," Beastboy declared.

"What?" Robin asked unbelievingly.

"The tide rose up and ate it," Beastboy stated flatly.

"Oh great!" Cyborg shouted. "That was the only lead we had!"

"But if there was a building there, then there had to be people there. And they had to go somewhere," Raven said dully. She turned to look at the sea, Beastboy smiled at her. "What?" Raven asked accusingly without even turning her head.

"Oh nothing," Beastboy answered in a playful tone.

"Well, let's go!" Cyborg shouted as the speedboat made a sharp turn to the right and sped towards the pale shape in the sea where not long ago was an island projecting from the horizon.

**Speeding away across the sea was Starfire and Slade.**

In the rearview mirror, Slade looked at Starfire gazing longingly across the sea and behind her was the newly sunk island. "Are we there yet?" Starfire moaned.

"No. But we're close," Slade replied. He heard a deep sigh from behind him. Looking back at the mirror, something new caught Slade's eye. In the distance, there was a speedboat just visible below the sky. Slade clenched the handles tighter and sped up. He felt Starfire's grip tighten too. "Nearly there."

Starfire didn't have the rearview mirror in her eyesight so all she could do was hope that her friends weren't far behind. She would have taken off and flew home if not for her recently acquired normality.

Suddenly the air was filled with mist.

On Slade's side hung a pouch that Starfire didn't notice before. The style matched his costume a bit. It was dark and combat styled. Just like him. _What is in there?_ She thought. _Probably best not to ask thought. _

Slade made a sharp turn to the right through the mist and soon a cliffside appeared at the right. It looked black, probably clay. They had barely traveled for two minutes when a cave came into view in the cliffside. By its entrance was a speedboat that puzzled Starfire greatly.

Instead of parking the boat by the cave, Slade sped on and went further along the cliff which steadily curved to the right. "Why was there a boat by that cave?" Starfire asked curiously.

"Why isn't there a boat at every cave?" Slade answered unhelpfully and mysteriously before engaging the thruster mechanism not normally found in speedboats and zooming away.

**With Robin, Raven, Beastboy and Cyborg…**

They had spotted the speedboat as they reached the previous location of the new island. "It went that way!" Cyborg announced and pointed ahead.

"Are we sure Starfire's in there? Couldn't it be like a speedboater or something?" Beastboy questioned.

"Why don't you go ahead and see?" Robin asked.

"I'll do that," Beastboy morphed into a dolphin and slid out of the boat into the sea. He sped ahead far beyond the boat and raced to catch up the other boat. He got closer and closer but couldn't see anything from underwater. He jumped up in time to be splashed in the face by water sent from the motor. Beastboy instantly fell back as he regained his vision.

Morphing once again, he took the form of a hawk and took to the sky. But not before ruffling his feathers free of water. Unfortunately, a thick fog came upon him and he lost his eyesight once again.

Beastboy swooped down and out of the mist and landed in the boat. "I couldn't see. This fog got in the way.

Robin turned to Cyborg, "Turn the headlights on," he demanded. "Raven, see if you can sense anything."

Raven folded her legs and closed her eyes, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." Instantly, her eyes turned entirely purple and her aura escaped her body. It zoomed ahead towards the mist, but there was nothing to see. She searched some more and was surprised to find a boat parked by a cave in the cliffside. "That doesn't seem like Slade, to leave such an obvious diversion." Raven's aura flew back and was almost blinded by two bright lights, if that were even possible. She glided over the boat and flew into her body.

Robin turned to face her, "What did you see?"

"Slade's planted a boat by a cave in the cliffside. He was trying to divert us."

"Can we be sure it was Slade?" Cyborg asked as the boat was encased in mist.

"Who else would leave a badge with the insignia 'S' on the seat?" Raven scepticised.

Everyone was silent for a moment. All that could be heard was the motor's uproar. "Wait, so he sped ahead?" Robin asked breaking the silence.

"I didn't see him but he must have done, to lose us," Raven replied.

"And he left a badge on the seat?" Robin pondered.

"I guess it was to try to convince us that he pulled up by the cave and lead us off his trail," Cyborg considered.

"And you're sure it was a badge and not a-," Robin couldn't finish his sentence for a loud ringing sound filled the air. Suddenly a colossal explosion came from the right of the boat. Robin grabbed his cape and threw it over himself. Beastboy transformed into a mouse and hid under the seat. The boat was rocking violently. Raven watched all this happen with wide eyes. She saw debris falling from the cliff and started panicking.

"Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" she shouted and a sudden wave of darkness surrounded the boat. Within the orb of ebony magic, all was silent except for the occasional sounds of rocks hitting the wall of black and the unsteady breathing of each of the titans.

The rocks fell more and more frequently and Raven broke out in a sweat. Suddenly, the rocks stopped falling. "What do I do?" Raven demanded in an unusually panicked tone. Beastboy came out from under the seat and morphed back into a human.

"If you release the shield, then we'll be crushed under tons of rock from the cliff," Cyborg warned. Raven started grinded her teeth in fear. Cyborg typed something into the computer in his arm. "I don't see what we can do, there's got to be at least three meters of rock in each direction."

"I can turn into a mouse and climb out and then move the rocks," suggested Beastboy.

"No, the cliff's too unstable now. Moving the base rocks could set off the whole cliff to collapse on us," Robin cautioned. "I don't think there's anything we can do," that last sentence echoed around them all.

Raven said nothing. The weight of the rocks was getting to her and soon her arms felt stiff from the pressure. Beastboy noticed her expression as nothing he had ever seen on her before. "Hey Raven, are you okay, you seem a little tense."

Raven shut her eyes tightly and a vein appeared on her forehead. She took a deep breath before standing up, careful not to lose the force field. "Do you think I'm okay! I'm the only thing between you and certain death!" she shouted. Everyone was a little taken aback by her sudden outburst. She waved her arms around as she spoke but only enough to make sure the rocks wouldn't move, "Have you ever tried to hold several hundred tons of rubble when you know there's no getting away from it? Of course I'm not okay!" Suddenly, the force field shattered throwing the rubble in all directions away from the boat. A thin layer of dust showered them. Raven looked stunned; she sat down and took a deep breath.

"You okay?" Beastboy asked cautiously.

Raven just nodded staring into the bottom of the boat.

"Coz you just saved our lives!" he shouted throwing his arms around Raven. She didn't shudder or move away uneasily as usual, she just sat there staring into space having just avoided being crushed to death.

"Way da go!" Cybrog shouted as he patted Raven roughly on her back.

Beastboy released her and sat down. Robin stared at Raven as she regained her normal state. "You know, you could have escaped," he slowly spoke.

"I couldn't live with myself knowing my friends died when I lived," she admitted.

**Hi, I'd just like to remind you that I'll be gone from Mon to Fri next week, so I won't be able to update then, but I will be back! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm back from Swanage, the accommodations weren't great, I couldn't get to sleep easily and there were lots of very long walks – one was a 7 mile walk up and down hills – but there were some amazing views and it was fun to be able to hang out with people you never hang out with! I made a new friend there!**

**Thanks a lot, everyone who reviewed! You rock, and so does everyone who has set this story as favs or alert or both. Cheers!**

"_You were running your power supply dry. It was inevitable that you would soon be unable to use them at all…"_

_Something caught Starfire's eye. There lay a small, brown book that bore the insignia 'BD'._

_Slade opened the box to reveal a couple of syringes in clear wrapping. He picked up the one that wasn't wrapped and he snapped it in half. "And she doesn't even know what's going on."_

_There was an island in the far away horizon. In all the time he had come to spend in Jump City he had never before seen that island there._

"_We're gonna investigate the island," Cyborg announced._

"_Too late. It sunk," Beastboy declared._

_A cave came into view in the cliffside. By its entrance was a speedboat._

"_Can we be sure it was Slade?" Cyborg asked as the boat was encased in mist. _

"_Who else would leave a badge with the insignia 'S' on the seat?" Raven scepticised._

"_And you're sure it was a badge and not a-," Robin couldn't finish his sentence for a loud ringing sound filled the air. Suddenly a colossal explosion came from the right of the boat._

"_Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" she shouted and a sudden wave of darkness surrounded the boat. Within the orb of ebony magic, all was silent except for the occasional sounds of rocks hitting the wall of black and the unsteady breathing of each of the titans._

"_I don't think there's anything we can do," that last sentence echoed around them all._

"_Of course I'm not okay!" Suddenly, the force field shattered throwing the rubble in all directions away from the boat. A thin layer of dust showered them. Raven looked stunned; she sat down and took a deep breath._

_Robin stared at Raven as she regained her normal state. "You know, you could have escaped," he slowly spoke._

"_I couldn't live with myself knowing my friends died when I lived," she admitted. _

Slade looked over at the watch on his wrist and smiled. _They are gone, _He thought harshly. _Forever gone._

The mist that had once had the speedboat in its boundless clutches had passed and the setting sun created a new atmosphere. Starfire gazed out at the colourful sky. She sighed. She really missed sitting on the roof watching it with Robin or by herself. It wasn't the same now.

Ahead she spotted where the cliffside met the beach. It wasn't much of a beach, it was made of a softer material than the cliff itself but it was the same gritty texture and dark colour. Slade drove straight onto the land causing Starfire to lose her balance and fall to the ground, which she just then realized that she missed, being out at see for so long. "Get up," Slade ordered. Starfire obeyed but with a look of rebellion on her face. "We're here," Slade got up off the speedboat.

"Where is here?" Starfire asked curiously, still holding the rebellious face.

"Where we need to be; this place has long stretched of land, different terrains and best of all, it's entirely deserted. You can call it home if you wish."

"But what of my _real_ home?" Starfire demanded.

"What really is home?" Slade asked philosophically. He did that a lot lately, it annoyed Starfire greatly. It left empty holes in her perception of Slade. He walked towards a strangely situated building. It looked like a tall office block but somehow more sinister and black.

"Home is where the family is," Starfire answered and walked after him. He must have not heard her because he ignored her completely. In all honesty, Starfire didn't have to follow him. He was doing nothing to restrain her. But somehow Starfire knew that he had the upper hand and that if she did try to run away, he would get her back. Not that she knew where she was anyway.

When they reached the building, Slade typed in a password into the keypad and the metal door opened revealing a hallway that could only be described as basic, dull and grey.

Slade led the way up a flight of stairs at the end of the hall. They walked and walked, the stairs seemed endless. Starfire was quickly losing her breath. Finally, Slade halted at another corridor. This one had only two doors as opposed to the one they were at before which had many. Slade looked over to the room at the right. The door had dark piercing letters cut into the cold grey colour, it said, "Starfire". He stopped there and let Starfire open the door. She laced her fingers around the handle and turned it. A beam of light broke the intense darkness of the hallway. The contents of the room scared Starfire greatly. There was a circular bed placed against one wall with a bedside table where sat a clock themed as Mumbo. A wardrobe stood by a window with a fantastic view of hills. Everything was black. But that was not what scared Starfire most, the thing that scared her most was that apart from the colour, everything was placed around the room exactly as it was in her room at the Titan's tower.

The door slammed behind her sending her back to reality. Without noticing, she must have walked bit by bit into the room. Starfire heard footsteps fade away as Slade walked back across the corridor and down the stairs. Star walked towards the bed and moved her fingertips along the blanket, then grabbed a handful. It was the same texture as the blanket in her room in the tower too. Normally she would love to jump onto her bed and huddle up in the sheets. Now, she didn't feel like she could bare it because a sudden phobia grew within her. _If Slade knows my room to the tiniest detail, then what else does he know?_

The other Titans had lost the trail when the boulders collapsed onto them, but frankly, they were just grateful to be alive. They went home to ponder some more on why Slade would want Star when they stumbled across the thought, _why didn't Star escape when she was on the speedboat?_

"Could Slade have had her at gunpoint again?" suggested Beastboy.

"Raven, Star got _shot_, right? Maybe she's too hurt to escape," Cyborg sat down at the computer.

"No, she's fine now. It was a minor wound. I think her alien blood prevented it from being too bad," Raven flipped a page of her book over and continued to read.

Robin paced a hole in the rug, "Dude, chill, we'll get her back," Beastboy repeated for the third time. And for the third time, Robin continued.

"We should be out there looking, not in here talking," he sped up his pace. "For all we know, Slade has Starfire bound and gagged with a gun to her forehead."

"Actually, we know better than that. She's actually well accommodated and although she's tense, she is well provided for and perfectly healthy," Raven spoke from behind her book.

"Do you know where she is?" Robin enquired.

"No but he does," Raven put her book down and walked over to a triumphant looking Cyborg. "I sensed your sudden proud moment there," she whispered to him.

"I did a quick sweep of Jump City and found two heartbeats in a very isolated area. One malevolently evil dude and one freaked out teen," he handed Robin a printed out map.

"Titans go!" he shouted. Raven, Cyborg and Robin quickly made for the door followed by Beastboy who was walking at a casual pace.

"Do you have to say that every time? It's not like we're planning to stay here," Beastboy admitted as he headed for the exit.

Robin gazed down at the map at the two red, orange and yellow figures which were most probably of Slade and Starfire. They were nearing the location which they chose to go to by land. Robin was on his motorbike, everyone else apart from Beastboy was in the car and Beastboy was gliding in the sky as a flying squirrel. Robin grabbed his communicator and got online with Raven and Cyborg and Beastboy in turn with commands on where they need to go and what they need to do. Raven was to sneak in and attack from inside, Robin was to guard the door, Cyborg was to blast in and find Starfire, and Beastboy was to come in from above. Robin went over the plan once again to make sure that everyone understood what they were supposed to do, and for the third time they replied that they got it the first time.

Robin signaled for everyone to move in…

Starfire stared longingly out of the window. The hills were a magnificent shade of green but still, no animals passed by. Not even a little bird. Not even the little green bird Starfire yearned to see. She longed to look out of her window and see her friends ready themselves for a surprise attack, but no. No one was out there as far as she could see. "Get ready, we're going to start your training course in 5 minutes," Slade ordered making Starfire jump up. She hadn't heard his come up the stairs. Maybe that was his intension, to take her by surprise. Starfire stood up from the windowsill that she was sitting on and walked over to Slade.

"I am ready now."

"Then let's go," Slade led her down the flight of stairs and through the front door. The wind whistled through Starfire's ears and made her want to take to the skies, but alas, her powers had faded before their time. Slade walked her around the building and towards a mountainous place behind it. There was a large field of the same colour grass of the hills by Starfire's room. It was dotted with little yellow flowers and the occasional pine tree. The fields itself was enclosed by steep mountains. "You are to run this track until you faint." Starfire looked up at Slade wide-eyed. "And you better be finished before sunset. Wolves live here," Starfire looked back at the field and then at Slade but he was already headed back towards the building, he leaned against the wall and watched her as she readied herself for the run.

She started at a slow jog running anticlockwise around the field. Exercise always cleared her mind but never so much as to knock her out cold. _What does Slade want with me?_ She asked herself as she did many times before. _What would he want with me now that I'm powerless … obsolete? _

She finished one lap which turned out to be bigger than she had expected, maybe 1200m at the least. She ran most of it with an empty mind but then decided to keep herself occupied with her thoughts. _If I run to the best of my ability then I would surely faint sooner. But that would get me nowhere except back inside his house… If I run at a normal rate then Slade would eventually leave from either boredom or the need to use the lavatory… does Slade even use the lavatory? I could just run… but where?_ Whatever ideas came to her ended up as returning to the building with Slade. He could always catch her, outsmart her, out manoeuvre her, and then do whatever he wants with her. In the end Starfire had nothing. _But there is always something a woman can do to a man… manipulate him. By any means necessary. _

Beastboy had positioned himself by a window, he flew back a bit and then collided with the thin glass, quickly transforming into a green Bengal tiger. Raven, Cyborg and Robin came through to the opposite sides of the room. They stood in combat positions ready to strike. Looking around, Beastboy transformed back into human, "Err, guys. I think we have the wrong house." In the middle of the room was a table with two men sat around. They were playing cards before the Titans had intruded.

"Umm… sorry to bother you," Robin awkwardly apologized. He turned to give a very accusatory look towards Cyborg who backed off a little. "We'll… go now…" The Titans walked away from the holes in the walls that they created and headed back towards the entrance which was never actually locked. The card-playing bystanders watched them leave, shrugged and continued playing.

Slade watched Starfire run from the sidelines. He counted 15 laps now, no way near how much he expected from her and already she was losing speed. Starfire on the other hand was hoping that any time now Slade would say that that was enough. Beads of perspiration appeared on her forehead and her fringe stuck to her face. She decided that the time had come for her first act of rebellion.

She shut her eyes tightly and gave it her best. Sprinting at full speed, she opened her eyes and looked up at the sky that was turning a dark blue. Starfire quickly lost balance and tripped over a lump in the tall grass. She fell forward and skidded across the ground with a sharp scream. From the sidelines, Slade narrowed his eyes. He walked rapidly towards Starfire and looked down at her. She started to sit up but he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to her feet. Starfire winced and fell back to the ground despite the tight grip on her hair. She felt a few hairs snap but ignored it. Starfire grabbed her leg and looked desperately worried. All Slade saw was a graze beneath the ripped boot, but Starfire's eyes were glittering with tears. "Get up," he ordered.

"I cannot," she replied.

He grabbed her by the back of her shirt and threw her forward. "You will do as I say," and with that he marched back around the building. Starfire watched him progress out of sight and as soon as he was out of sight, a smirk appeared on her face. She wiped a few grains of dirt from her leg and got up. There was no one around her, no robots guarding her. _This is my chance,_ she thought. Starfire walked swiftly towards the side of the building and skillfully manoeuvred around it, carefully avoiding the windows. She could now see the sea. To the right, there was a gentle hill and beyond that was a forest, to the left was the front of the building and the cliff face. Starfire chose to go right. Her leg pounded as the blood passed by the graze but now was not the time, she ran for it.

She was within reaching distance of the forest when suddenly, a few hundred volts of electricity passed through her body. She fell to the floor. Her clothes were dark and steaming. It all came so suddenly that she thought that that was the end. She saw a white light before everything went black.

Slade walked up to the limp body of Starfire and smiled evilly. He flicked her hair aside and a black and orange trademark gadget came into view. In black writing, it said, 'S' in jagged lettering. He had slipped it on the back of her shirt when she refused to get up. She hadn't even noticed. Slade grabbed her shoulder and turned her onto her back. "Can't have you running off," he said darkly. Slade took off the bag that he was wearing and unzipped it. Inside were the syringes that he had on the island. He took out a new one and took it out of the casing. He squirted a few drops into the air before slipping the needle into Starfire's vein and inserting a new dose of the chemical into her bloodstream.

The rest of the Titans were back where they started. It was already getting dark and they had no new lead. Cyborg was back at the computer; Robin was checking the communicator to see if there was any way to contact Starfire or if the tracking system was back online, Beastboy was doing a sweep of the city's outskirts and Raven was meditating.

"Sorry Rob, I still can't find squat. I've checked everywhere. Even outside the city. The only update I can give you is that the cliff to the southwest of here is very unstable. Wherever they are, Slade has them protected from us finding them."

"You can stop looking; if that's the case then you won't find them."

A green parrot suddenly came panting through the open window and collapsed onto the sofa after regaining his human form. "What did you find?" Robin immediately asked.

Beastboy took a few sharp breaths before answering, "Absolutely… nothing…" he panted.

All this time, Raven was holding her meditating position. She could sense that something was wrong. Beastboy quickly regained his breathing pattern and soon everything was silent. Robin turned to Raven and saw that she looked very agitated, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She looked as if she was in a deep nightmare-like trance. Robin didn't want to bother her but she was really worrying him. "Raven?" he asked quietly, he got everyone's attention onto Raven who looked as if she hadn't heard him at all. In the meantime, she was sensing strong emotions coming from Starfire. Something was definitely developing.

Several visions shot clear across the back of Raven's eyelids and she felt almost as if she was experiencing Starfire's emotions. There were images of Starfire's troubled-looking eyes, a large green field, Slade. Raven started to mutter, "Starfire, where are you?" she said more to herself than anyone else. The strong feeling of tiredness and angst had been going on for quite a few minutes now. Suddenly, a new feeling was introduced; the same kind of feeling one gets when one prevails, or is triumphant over another. But this feeling didn't last long.

A sharp pain. Raven fell to the floor with a thud and everyone immediately went over to her. She just sat there with her hand over her chest over her heart. Tears were fighting back from the back of her eyes. An extremely sharp pain coursed through Raven's body. It scared her greatly because it was only a fraction of the pain that Starfire had felt.


	6. Chapter 6

"_You were running your power supply dry. It was inevitable that you would soon be unable to use them at all…"_

_Something caught Starfire's eye. There lay a small, brown book that bore the insignia 'BD'._

_A cave came into view in the cliffside. By its entrance was a speedboat._

"_Can we be sure it was Slade?" Cyborg asked as the boat was encased in mist. _

"_Who else would leave a badge with the insignia 'S' on the seat?" Raven scepticised._

"_And you're sure it was a badge and not a-," Robin couldn't finish his sentence for a loud ringing sound filled the air. Suddenly a colossal explosion came from the right of the boat._

"_Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" she shouted and a sudden wave of darkness surrounded the boat. Within the orb of ebony magic, all was silent except for the occasional sounds of rocks hitting the wall of black and the unsteady breathing of each of the titans._

"_I don't think there's anything we can do," that last sentence echoed around them all._

"_Of course I'm not okay!" Suddenly, the force field shattered throwing the rubble in all directions away from the boat. A thin layer of dust showered them. Raven looked stunned; she sat down and took a deep breath._

"_You are to run this track until you faint." Starfire looked up at Slade wide-eyed. "And you better be finished before sunset. Wolves live here."_

_She decided that the time had come for her first act of rebellion. _

_She shut her eyes tightly and gave it her best. Sprinting at full speed, she opened her eyes and looked up at the sky that was turning a dark blue. Starfire quickly lost balance and tripped over a lump in the tall grass. She fell forward and skidded across the ground with a sharp scream. Starfire's eyes were glittering with tears. "Get up," he ordered._

"_I cannot," she replied._

_He grabbed her by the back of her shirt and threw her forward. "You will do as I say,"_

_She was within reaching distance of the forest when suddenly, a few hundred volts of electricity passed through her body. She fell to the floor. Her clothes were dark and steaming. It all came so suddenly that she thought that that was the end. She saw a white light before everything went black._

"What happened?" Robin demanded as he sat down by Raven to give her support.

"It's Starfire, she…," Raven trailed off with her eyes tightly shut as she tried to find the right words, "she was electrocuted…" she said slowly.

"What? Is she ok?" inquired Beastboy.

"I… don't know," Raven got up and leaned against the back of the sofa, "She… is alive," Raven finished, "But her aura's weak, I don't know if she'll make it."

"She'll just have to!" Robin ordered. "Her pain's coming off strongly, right?" Raven gave a slight nod, "See if you can trace it."

Raven recovered her balance and stood up, if not a little unsteadily. "As far as I can tell, about 200 miles northeast from here. But I can't be too sure," she frowned. Her skin tingled from the volts that shot though her body. "Slade's got her in the palm of his hand."

Slade laid Starfire gently onto her black bed and her hair trickled off of the pillows and shone in the light of the setting sun. Her clothes were burnt and still sending off thin trails of smoke. Slade smirked beneath his mask. He walked towards the wardrobe by the window and opened one of the doors. He placed something on the chair before departing through the open door. The chink of a lock sounded.

Starfire turned uncomfortably on the bed. She had been unconscious for a few minutes. Her hair gave off a little static and made a pair of her locks frizzed up and rose off of the blanket for only a second, but a second later, the rest of her hair followed suit. There was a tangled sea of auburn hair sending waves of blue electricity amongst itself. Just as the waves were dying, the black blanket caught a spark and developed it into a flame. The flame spread and divided into two. Cloud of smoke formed beneath the ceiling and still the princess slept. A fire alarm sounded but was muffled by the smoke. The automatic sprinklers started off but weren't nearly enough to tame the flames that were now surrounding Starfire.

She coughed casually in her sleep but found that as she inhaled, a thick layer of ash entered her mouth. She sat up with a gasp and a great series of coughs. Her eyes flashed open and she winced, she could barely see beyond the tongues of fire and clouds of ash. Starfire rose to avoid the fire that had already burnt her leg.

Thinking fast, she jumped over the flames that had built up on her blankets and ran carefully to the door. She tugged at it with its handle turned but to her devastation, it was locked. The trickles of water that came down from above matted her hair to her face. The water combated with the fire caused even more smoke to rise but it did not extinguish anything. Starfire leaned against the door and started banging on it, "Help!" she cried, "Please, help!" But no one came. Starfire felt her back heat up and turned to find a tongue of flame hastily eating away at the carpet before her feet. Several strands of her hair caught the odd spark which flashed right to the top of the hair and disintegrated it entirely. Starfire turned back to see the fire consuming the corner of the door. She backed away hastily to the center of the room; she looked around for any means of escape. That's when it caught her eye. There on the back of her chair was a black dress. Upon inspecting it closer, Starfire saw all of the details, the dress was silk but with a texture that felt strong but flexible. The hem of the dress was jagged and fell to one side, the dress had short sleeves but with attachments of long white silk sleeves that would reach down to her wrists. Starfire held it up to herself and looked at the mirror on her wardrobe, the hem of the dress just reached where her boots began. On the front of the dress was Slade's trademark insignia.

The motion of crisis came back to Starfire and she abandoned her dress and left it sprawled on her bed. She reached for the window, looked downwards and cursed. Suddenly a beam collapsed behind her and sent ash in all directions, she screamed at the top of her lungs.

The other Titans were hastily making their way towards the location. Robin was in his R-cycle, Raven was flying overhead along with Beast Boy who was carrying Cyborg with his talons firmly placed. Robin opened his communicator and signaled everyone to speed up. They were speeding along in the forest when they heard an earsplitting scream, Starfire's. They sped up even more until they came out of the forest and the building came into view. The flaming building where Starfire was kept captive, helpless within the walls. Robin ordered Raven to make a move towards the roof and find Starfire. She nodded and flew up and above the building. The roof had collapsed and flames licked the very sky. "Starfire!" she called. She spotted her. Starfire was huddled up with her knees by her chest against the wall under the window. Either she was petrified, or she was unconscious, either way, she wasn't moving. Raven dove down towards her but was stopped by the fire that rose high and got in her way. "Starfire!" she yelled again. This time, Starfire looked up and immediately smiled through watery eyes. "Starfire, fly!" Raven shouted from high above. Starfire looked down sadly without an answer.

Suddenly, the wall behind Starfire became unstable and leant backwards on the verge of collapsing entirely. Starfire screamed. The door swung open and Robin burst through. He caught sight of Starfire and darted towards her carefully and skillfully dodging each flame. The wall behind Starfire lost its grip on the rest of the building and fell, taking Starfire with it if not for the hand that grabbed Starfire's just in time. Starfire looked down to see the wall fall and shatter against the ground, and then she looked up and saw Robin smiling down at her. "Need a lift?"

He started to pull her up but was knocked to the side by Slade who chose now to appear. Starfire screamed as she fell quickly downwards. Cyborg and Beast Boy were at ground level and saw her falling. "Fly!" shouted Beast Boy, but still Starfire fell.

"She's not gonna fly," Cyborg spoke worriedly.

"Then I'll do it for her," Beast Boy morphed into a great big eagle and swooped elegantly in Starfire's direction. He turned to an angle and flew just above her. Starfire felt him brush past and grabbed hold of him. He lunged downwards and made a gentle landing with Starfire on his back. As soon as he morphed back into a human, Starfire's arms hugged him tightly, but not as tightly as usual, Beast Boy noticed how weak the hug was and how tired Starfire looked. She hugged him for a full minute, as if afraid to let go, tears were pouring out of her eyes. Beast Boy stood nervously at first then he decided to be supportive of Starfire and hugged her back. Cyborg was smiling at the pair when his highly sensitive ear picked up something from above. He looked up to see Robin and Slade fighting feverishly. "Yo, Beast Boy, look up."

Beast Boy gently released himself from Starfire and looked upwards. "Hey, Robin, need some help?" he shouted. When no reply came, he flew up nonetheless.

Cyborg knew how unstable the building was so he chose not to risk his weight on the staircase. Instead he got out a tube that he happened to have inside his right elbow. He walked closer to the sea and threw the tube into it; the other side of the tube was inside his arm. Cyborg was the only one who knew all that his sonic cannon was compatible to. A sudden burst of water flew from the end of his cannon and towards the building, extinguishing flames.

Robin dodged every move that Slade sent at him. He threw his own at Slade who just as easily avoided them, "We're too evenly matched, it will seem," Slade spoke.

"What do you want with Starfire?" demanded Robin changing the subject.

"You will never know," Slade answered, and all in a flash, he disappeared.

Robin looked up to Raven who had just landed. "Where did he go?" Raven just shrugged. A sudden burst of water happened to land on her, making her grimace down at Cyborg.

Beast Boy landed by Robin and Raven and morphed back to human, "Dudes, where'd he go?" They all came down to the ground by Cyborg to find that Starfire was no longer there.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm sorry it took so long, fanfiction wouldn't let me post it up for the last three days, but here is my longest chapter ever. Enjoy! And please review. **

"_You were running your power supply dry. It was inevitable that you would soon be unable to use them at all…"_

_Something caught Starfire's eye. There lay a small, brown book that bore the insignia 'BD'._

_A cave came into view in the cliffside. By its entrance was a speedboat._

"_Who else would leave a badge with the insignia 'S' on the seat?" Raven scepticised._

"_And you're sure it was a badge and not a-," Robin couldn't finish his sentence for a loud ringing sound filled the air. Suddenly a colossal explosion came from the right of the boat._

"_Azarath, Metrion, ZINTHOS!" she shouted and a sudden wave of darkness surrounded the boat. Within the orb of ebony magic, all was silent except for the occasional sounds of rocks hitting the wall of black and the unsteady breathing of each of the titans._

"_Of course I'm not okay!" Suddenly, the force field shattered throwing the rubble in all directions away from the boat. A thin layer of dust showered them. Raven looked stunned; she sat down and took a deep breath._

_He grabbed her by the back of her shirt and threw her forward. "You will do as I say,"_

_She was within reaching distance of the forest when suddenly, a few hundred volts of electricity passed through her body. She fell to the floor. Her clothes were dark and steaming. It all came so suddenly that she thought that that was the end. She saw a white light before everything went black._

_There was a tangled sea of auburn hair sending waves of blue electricity amongst itself. Just as the waves were dying, the black blanket caught a spark and developed it into a flame. The flame spread and divided into two. Cloud of smoke formed beneath the ceiling and still the princess slept._

_There on the back of her chair was a black dress. On the front of the dress was Slade's trademark insignia._

"_Fly!" shouted Beast Boy, but still Starfire fell. _

"_She's not gonna fly," Cyborg spoke worriedly._

"_Then I'll do it for her."_

_Beast Boy landed by Robin and Raven and morphed back to human, "Dudes, where'd he go?" They all came down to the ground by Cyborg to find that Starfire was no longer there. _

Slade materialized in a dark and intimidating looking cave. Starfire was in his clutches. His hands were firmly placed on her arms behind her. She struggled to fight him off but was only wearing herself out. Slade neither recoiled nor released her. She calmed down and allowed Slade to push her forward. _I cannot believe I was nearly free, how could I have not seen Slade?_

A heavily armoured man wearing all black with thin green stripes came walking towards them and stopped a few meters in front of them, "State you name," he commanded.

"Slade," he replied simply.

"State your purpose."

"To defeat the Brindar and claim the prize."

"Follow me," the armoured man started to walk back from where he came. Slade followed with Starfire at his hand. When they got to a door, the armoured man turned to them with his ever-expressionless features, "Need I explain further?"

"No, I have all the information I need," and with that the man left. Slade opened the door with one hand and pushed Starfire in with the other, "This is your quarters, and you are not to leave it. Food is on the table and you better get some rest, you will be fighting in the morning."

Slade left a very nervous looking Starfire. She turned to look around the room. It was plain and dull but with the same disturbing characteristics of the corridor they had just went through. There was a bed; it wasn't much of a bed, more of a hard surface than anything. The ceiling was very high up and the light at the top wouldn't stop blinking. Starfire walked over to the table where lay a plate of hard dry bread. Starfire sat down on the bed and got out her communicator. She found out a while ago that it was broken, there must be a loose circuit because the exterior looked intact, but Starfire couldn't tell if it was the inside that was broken because the communicator happened to have four tiny little bolts in each corner and it would be impossible to get them out with only your fingers. This suddenly sparked off an idea in Starfire, _time for my second act of rebellion. _

She got up off the bed and hid the communicator back into her skirt pocket. She then walked over to a little grey electrical box that she just noticed under the table and with the bread that she just grabbed off the top of the table, she whacked it against the little grey box, hoping that it was the kind of box she wanted it to be. Suddenly all the lights turned out. Within minutes, Slade appeared at the door carrying a tool box and a fierce expression. "Here," he said spitefully throwing the tool box over to her, "All of the lights have switched off; I guess it's your idea of being defiant. You will fix it, I don't care if you get electrocuted, but of course, you've already had experience with electric shocks, haven't you?" he said coldly. She stared back at him with fiery eyes. She grinned behind him mask and left. Starfire was alone once again, with a tool box. _I have just outsmarted Slade, _she thought to herself.

She grabbed her communicator and got to work.

Meanwhile, the other Titans had already searched everywhere and anywhere for Starfire but with no luck. They were now all in Titans tower talking amongst themselves when the doorbell rang. Robin went to answer it and found himself standing in front of Titans East. "What are you doing here?"

Bumblebee flew right up in front of her teammates and greeted Robin, "I heard you've got a little problem here, thought we could come and help."

"Thanks, we could use all the help you can give. We've got nothing so far."

Robin led everyone into the main room where they greeted everyone else. "So, what can we do?" asked Aqualad.

"Well there are places where we can't look where maybe you can. You think you can do that?" Cyborg asked from the computer.

"No problem," replied Speedy. Cyborg went back to searching at the computer

"Está bien!" Màs y Menos added in unison.

"That's great, here's a list of where we've been and you can look where we haven't," Robin handed Speedy the sheet of paper.

"Dudes, just to you know, there aren't many places we haven't looked," Beast Boy popped up behind Robin. Speedy took another look at the list and beneath the piece of paper, another piece folded out, and then another and another until the list reached the floor.

"Hey guys, look! Starfire's location's just appeared on the map!" Cyborg announced from the computer. Everyone clustered around it and there it was. Starfire's communicator location was back up.

Suddenly, Robin's communicator beeped. Everyone was looking expectantly towards him. He took out his communicator and opened it. As soon as he saw Starfire's face, he smiled and walked over to the big screen plasma TV and plugged it into the computer by it. Starfire's face appeared full screen so that everyone could see it, and a sight it was. Her hair was even more messed up than the last time they saw it. Her face was covered lightly with dirt and looked as if she hastily tried to clean up a bit before getting in touch with her friends. Her outfit was darkened and didn't look like it could hold up for long. But her eyes were what everyone was looking at. They were big and shining as if renewed with fresh hope.

"Starfire, are you ok?" Robin asked.

"I am for now. I have not got long to talk," she whispered it as if there was someone listening by the door and she didn't want them to know what was going on.

"Where are you?" Bumblebee asked and walked closer to the screen.

"I am under ground as far as I can tell. Slade has taken me here and he says that he plans to defeat a 'Brindar' and claim a prize."

"Brindar?" Beast Boy repeated.

"You know him?" asked Cyborg.

"I know _of _him," replied Beast Boy, "There's supposedly an underground 'competition' thing where super villains come with humans and make them fight this big black creature called the Brindar and if they win the villain wins this prize. They call it entertainment."

"And if they lose?" asked Raven speaking for the first time.

"It's a fight to the death."

"But Starfire can't fight Brindar, she's not a human. It'd be a bit obvious when she starts shooting starbolts," Aqualad leaned against the sofa back that he stood behind.

Starfire put on a troubled expression and bit her bottom lip. She looked back at the screen; "Actually…" she didn't know how to put it. She could no longer be with the Teen Titans, "I do not have-," but she was cut off when she heard the door start opening. She quickly hid the communicator behind her back and pressed a button with her thumb before looking towards the door with a stunned expression.

Slade entered. "Take off your attire, it wouldn't last you in battle." He threw a black heap onto the bed by Starfire's lap as well as a suspicious glace and then left.

Starfire dropped her communicator on the bed and took hold of the black heap. It was the same dress that she had seen in the building before it burned down. She looked it over and grimaced. When she was unfolding it, something fell out. Starfire looked down at the ground and noticed the same old little book that she had found on the island. She hadn't managed to open it as of yet. She picked it up and turned the lock over in her fingers. Then she took a screw driver from the tool box and slit it into the lock. With a turn and a slight chink noise, the lock fell off. Starfire opened it and was surprised to hear music. It sounded familiar in a way. As if she had heard it long ago. Its sing-song tune reminded her of Tamaran and of her mother. She smiled. She turned the page over but she couldn't understand the writing. It was not in Tamaranian, nor English. It didn't even look human. It was scrawled across the page in a furious jumble of black ink.

Looking back at the bed, she put down the book and started to undress.

The big screen TV flashed off before Starfire could finish what she was about to say. Robin sighed. "That sounded a bit like 'I don not have my powers' to me," Beast Boy stated.

"But why?" Cyborg asked.

"Maybe it was something else," Bumblebee suggested.

"Well when she was falling off that building, she didn't fly, and when she was inside the building, she didn't fly. She didn't shoot starbolts as far as I could see so I agree with BB," Cyborg stated firmly.

"Maybe she just doesn't have the unbridled joy in her to fly?" Raven suggested.

"That's probably it," Robin agreed.

"Huh? What are you guys talking about?" Speedy asked a little confusedly.

"Tamaranian powers are fueled by emotion," Cyborg explained.

"Well maybe that wasn't where she was going, maybe she was trying to say something else," Aqualad suggested. Màs y Menos kept quiet. They had long ago discovered that they weren't all that helpful in discussions.

"She signed off real fast, maybe she's in trouble," Speedy walked up to the fridge and grabbed some corn bread.

"Beast Boy, what do you know about this 'Brindar'?" Robin inquired.

"Well, he's a really big monster with really big teeth and a really little brain. He only obeys his master who's like the leader of the competition. I don't know what the prize is but if Slade wants it it's gotta be good."

"Cyborg, can you look this competition up?" Robin asked. Cyborg gave a quick nod and went back to typing away at the computer.

"What do you want us to do?" asked Bumblebee.

"Brainstorm. How can we get Star out of there?" Robin commanded.

Fifteen minutes later, everyone got together to talk about what they found. Cyborg began, "I've pinpointed Starfire's exact location and I found out what the prize is. It's this immortality potion thing. Can make you live forever. We can't let Slade get it."

Bumblebee started talking about their ideas, "First we talked about if Starfire faked losing, then we remembered that the monster would beat her until she's dead."

Speedy continued, "Then discussed Beast Boy turning into the monster and faking losing, but then we realized that Beast Boy's always green and the monster's black. Plus if Starfire wins then Slade would get the potion."

Aqualad was next to speak, "Then Màs y Menos said something in Spanish, and then we had a great idea. What if we fake Starfire having superpowers?"

"Raven would be perfect for it; she could hide in the ceiling and then use her powers to make things move and she could surround Starfire's hands in magic so that everyone would think it's her doing it," Speedy finished.

"That might actually work. Then they wouldn't let Starfire and Slade compete in fighting the Brindar," Robin agreed.

"Yeah but how do we get her away from Slade, he's bound to figure out that it's Raven's powers not Starfire's," Beast Boy stated.

"Then we can come in and keep everyone occupied and Raven can teleport us all home."

"One problem, I can only teleport about four people at the same time."

"Then we'll stay back and hold down the fort," Bumblebee smiled. "But don't you think you should tell Star the plan so she can make it look convincing?"

"We have to wait till Star calls us otherwise we might get her into trouble," Cyborg went back to researching the fighting grounds, he smiled. "Or we can get a little bird to tell Star," he suggested as he looked over at Beast Boy.

Starfire looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing the black dress. It was actually very comfortable. The white sleeves were soft and silky, the silvery white that she had only just noticed across the front of the dress ran across her chest and through the 'S' insignia. It reached down to where her skirt would reach and her boots looked just like her purple ones except they were black. The whole outfit seemed to revolve around her purple one. All except the shirt and skirt were replaced by a very flexible yet sturdy dress that had a zigzagged hem. Starfire sighed and sat back down at her bed. _My powers are gone, but they are still risking their lives for me. Why? Even if I make it out alive, I will be of no use to the Titans. I can't even fly anymore. S_he looked at her hands as if she was about to cry into them, then suddenly, they flickered neon green. Her eyes lit up with surprise and a smile slowly appeared on her face. She managed to hold the green light in her hands as she could before. Her smile widened as she realized how much she missed her powers. Suddenly, there was a slight knock on the door and Starfire jumped up and let the power disappear from her hands. She didn't respond to the knocking, she figured that whoever it was would let them in despite her answer. But she was surprised to see who it was.

"Beast Boy?" she asked disbelievingly, he flew in as a fly which made Starfire curious to how he knocked, and then when Starfire closed the door, he morphed back to his human self.

"Shhh," he put his finger to his lips and then continued in a hushed whisper, "I can't get you outta here, too many guards." He looked around the room, "And you don't even have a window here," then he noticed what she was wearing, "Slade's been torturing you I see," he stated dryly.

"Beast Boy, how glad I am to see you!" she exclaimed in a hushed whisper.

"I can't bust you outta here but we have a plan," he began to explain the plan and then when he was finished, when he was about to leave, he couldn't help but turn back with a sad expression and ask, "So, you've really lost you powers?"

"I think it was only temporary, send everyone my greetings," Beast Boy smiled and transformed into a tiny fly. Starfire opened the door a little and let him fly out. She also took the opportunity to look around the corridor. There was no one there.

Starfire closed the door and started walking back to her bed when she heard an abrupt knocking on the door. Before she could even turn around, there was Slade in her doorway. "We will begin your training." Starfire followed him out of her room reluctantly. They entered a large and very empty hall, completely black but with floodlights at great intervals up on room high poles. Starfire walked in ahead of Slade to take a closer look at the strange markings scrawled across the walls. They were completely unfamiliar but looked strangely like that of the little book she had found long ago. All of a sudden, Starfire felt a sharp pain in the back of her upper right arm and then she felt nothing. Her entire body went numb, the only thing she felt was the tingling in her hands from her starbolts disappearing. Slade stood behind her with a smirk on his face, "I have another lesson for you. Never turn you back on an enemy." In his hand he held another syringe, a bit bigger than before. "Now, let's fight." He quickly sent a low flying kick at her legs, but she was still in a daze and came into sharp contact with the hard ground, but still felt nothing. Starfire got up and threw a very high kick that hit Slade's masked head hard. Before she lowered her leg, she threw it at his head yet again but coming from the opposite direction, and then another one. Slade quickly reacted by grabbing her leg and securely holding it under his pit. She tried to pull away but it was no use. So, putting all of her strength to use, she firmly planted her other leg into the ground and kicked her right leg high into the air, with Slade still holding it. He landed sharply behind her and quickly got up.

Starfire didn't turn around; she just stood there with a firm expression on her face. It softened for a moment, long enough for her to take a step forward, turn around and ask, "What have you done to me?"

"Performance enhancer. You will now feel no pain. Feel no fear." Starfire turned around with her arms around her chest. Suddenly, the fierce expression came back, a hand planted itself on her shoulder, "And I'm quite pleased it worked. Now you are ready."


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry this chapter is a bit short, please review nonetheless.

"_You were running your power supply dry. It was inevitable that you would soon be unable to use them at all…"_

_A cave came into view in the cliffside. By its entrance was a speedboat._

"_Who else would leave a badge with the insignia 'S' on the seat?" Raven scepticised._

"_And you're sure it was a badge and not a-," Robin couldn't finish his sentence for a loud ringing sound filled the air. Suddenly a colossal explosion came from the right of the boat._

"_Of course I'm not okay!" Suddenly, the force field shattered throwing the rubble in all directions away from the boat. A thin layer of dust showered them. Raven looked stunned; she sat down and took a deep breath._

_She was within reaching distance of the forest when suddenly, a few hundred volts of electricity passed through her body. She fell to the floor. Her clothes were dark and steaming. It all came so suddenly that she thought that that was the end. She saw a white light before everything went black._

_There was a tangled sea of auburn hair sending waves of blue electricity amongst itself. Just as the waves were dying, the black blanket caught a spark and developed it into a flame. The flame spread and divided into two. Cloud of smoke formed beneath the ceiling and still the princess slept._

_There on the back of her chair was a black dress. On the front of the dress was Slade's trademark insignia._

"_Fly!" shouted Beast Boy, but still Starfire fell. _

"_She's not gonna fly," Cyborg spoke worriedly._

"_Then I'll do it for her."_

_Beast Boy landed by Robin and Raven and morphed back to human, "Dudes, where'd he go?" They all came down to the ground by Cyborg to find that Starfire was no longer there. _

"_There's supposedly an underground 'competition' where super villains come with humans and make them fight this big black creature called the Brindar and if they win the villain wins this prize. They call it entertainment."_

"_The prize is an immortality potion. Can make you live forever. We can't let Slade get it."_

_What if we fake Starfire having superpowers?"_

_Then they wouldn't let Starfire and Slade compete in fighting the Brindar," Robin agreed._

_She looked at her hands as if she was about to cry into them, then suddenly, they flickered neon green._

"_What have you done to me?"_

"_Performance enhancer. You will now feel no pain. Feel no fear." Starfire turned around with her arms around her chest. Suddenly, the fierce expression came back, a hand planted itself on her shoulder, "And I'm quite pleased it worked. Now you are ready."_

Starfire stood before a tall dark red double door. Slade stood behind her. The same determined expression remained on her face as the doors opened to reveal a large circular Coliseum-like room. Spectators sat around the bottom level where Starfire stood. There was a loud unsupportive reaction from the audience when Starfire came in. It only made Starfire angrier and more determined.

From the other side of the room, the dark blue double doors opened and a person wearing red and black silk robes entered. The hood was down but anyone could tell it was a woman by the way the robes fell against her body. She looked out ahead of her and the bottom of her face was revealed. Her lips curved into a smile. She beaconed one of her guards over with a gentle wave of her hand. He came over obediently and she whispered something into his ear. He then spoke out into the crowd, "Who dares challenge the great and powerful Brindar? Who thinks themselves worthy to stand a chance?" Who fears no-,"

"I do!" interrupted Starfire menacingly.

The guard lowered his head slightly in disapproval, "State your name," he said darker than his introduction was.

"Sta-," she began but was interrupted by Slade.

"I am Slade," he said humbly while at all times sounding commanding. She gave him an irritated glace and turned back to face the front.

"Then bring forth the Brindar!" the guard shouted and quickly ran back to open one door while the other guard opened the other. The robed figure walked to her special seat in the highest box.

For a few suspenseful moments, nothing happened. Then without warning, a great big beast darted into the coliseum. He looked like a panther but bulkier and fiercer and not earthly. It stopped in its tracks and stared at Starfire, Slade had already moved into the sidelines. Starfire and the creature circled each other for a while waiting for the other to make the first move.

Meanwhile, the other Titans were standing one floor above the coliseum. Cyborg was staring at his arm and pinpointing exactly where Starfire was. When they came to the right place, Cyborg pointed down, still staring at the computer in his arm. Raven knelt down and held her hands a few inches above the ground. Robin checked around to make sure no one was around; they must have all gone to watch the 'entertainment'. When giving the signal, Raven used her powers on part of the floor. Suddenly, everyone could see what was underneath it. "We can see them but they can't see us," Raven reassured in a hushed whisper. Beneath them was the coliseum.

They saw Starfire circling a great big black cat like creature. "Get ready," Robin whispered to Raven. But all of a sudden, the creature pounced on Starfire. Robin tensed up and was about to shout her name when Cyborg laid his hand on Robin's shoulder. His fears were of no need because as soon as the beast was up in the air, Starfire ducked down low just in time to avoid it and jump back to face it before it could strike again. While it had it's back turned and was slightly disoriented, she came up with a running start and gave out a battle cry. It turned in time to be kicked in the face by some black boots with small heels. Starfire then backed away and got her breath back.

"She seems to be doing fine on her own," admitter Beast Boy. The creature walked towards her in a stalking manner. When it was an uncomfortable distance away from Starfire, she flipped over into the air and landed with an almighty blow just where the creature's head was a moment ago, but it foresaw what she was about to do and moved.

Just as she landed with a thud and did some damage to the ground, the black jaguar like creature grabbed hold of her leg with its teeth. "Oh, that's gotta hurt." But what surprised the Titans most (including Starfire) is that she didn't react in any way other than seem a little annoyed. Blood streamed down the freshly made wound but she didn't feel it. She kicked the jaguar off of her leg and while it was getting up, she ran up to it and kicked on side of its head with her foot sending it sliding to one side. It quickly got back up and stalked Starfire once more.

An idea flicked into Starfire's head. But now was not the time, for the jaguar was once again on her tail, they were circling each other and the jaguar was getting bored, so was Starfire. Suddenly, the jaguar planted its feet firmly on the ground and out came several very long claws stained with blood from past battles. Starfire stood waiting for it.

The jaguar leapt into the air in a flash of black and got its teeth into Starfire side and its claws in various places on her back. The jaguar was now completely intent on killing Starfire off as quickly as possible. His teeth quickly penetrated the fabric of the dress and severed her flesh. With one hasty move, the jaguar jumped back, taking with him several strips of dress that had gotten caught on his claws and teeth. Starfire was no longer wearing a dress but a top and skirt. The blood ran down it in large flows and tinted her skirt into a very dark red colour.

Starfire fell forward onto her knees and hugged her numb torso. The jaguar was content with the damage he did and chose to end the fight then and there. It came in closer to pounce one last time. "Raven, you have to do something," Cyborg pleaded from above Starfire.

"No need," Robin stated matter-of-factly. "That's a very clever battle tactic. As soon as he gets close enough and leaps at her, she'll attack him. Animals attack when their opponent is injured."

"But is Star beats him, then Slade'll get the potion."

They went back to watching the scene below them. The jaguar leapt into the air and positioned its claws for Starfire's face but suddenly, Starfire did a backwards roll just past the claws and with her hands to the ground, she pushed off and kicked the jaguar hard in the face. It collapsed with a thump. Starfire walked up to it and held her foot over its head but then decided against it and walked away. She looked around at the coliseum, the floor was stained in blood, mostly her own.

"Congratulations, you have defeated Brindar and the prize is yours," one of the guards came to the floor level with a golden box.

Slade walked past Starfire and over to the guard. He reached out for it but suddenly, the hooded woman flew down between the guard and Slade. "No, you are disqualified from the events."

Slade narrowed his eyes, "At what charges?"

"She is not a human," the hooded figure stated. Her voice seemed familiar.

Starfire gasped, "_Blackfire_?"


	9. Chapter 9

"_You were running your power supply dry. It was inevitable that you would soon be unable to use them at all…"_

_She was within reaching distance of the forest when suddenly, a few hundred volts of electricity passed through her body. She fell to the floor. Her clothes were dark and steaming. It all came so suddenly that she thought that that was the end. She saw a white light before everything went black._

_There was a tangled sea of auburn hair sending waves of blue electricity amongst itself. Just as the waves were dying, the black blanket caught a spark and developed it into a flame. The flame spread and divided into two. Cloud of smoke formed beneath the ceiling and still the princess slept._

_Beast Boy landed by Robin and Raven and morphed back to human, "Dudes, where'd he go?" They all came down to the ground by Cyborg to find that Starfire was no longer there. _

"_There's supposedly an underground 'competition' where super villains come with humans and make them fight this big black creature called the Brindar and if they win the villain wins this prize. They call it entertainment."_

"_The prize is an immortality potion. Can make you live forever. We can't let Slade get it."_

_What if we fake Starfire having superpowers?"_

_Then they wouldn't let Starfire and Slade compete in fighting the Brindar," Robin agreed._

_She looked at her hands as if she was about to cry into them, then suddenly, they flickered neon green._

"_What have you done to me?"_

"_Performance enhancer. You will now feel no pain. Feel no fear." Starfire turned around with her arms around her chest. Suddenly, the fierce expression came back, a hand planted itself on her shoulder, "And I'm quite pleased it worked. Now you are ready."_

"_Then bring forth the Brindar!"_

_The jaguar leapt into the air in a flash of black and got its teeth into Starfire side and its claws in various places on her back. The jaguar was now completely intent on killing Starfire off as quickly as possible. His teeth quickly penetrated the fabric of the dress and severed her flesh. With one hasty move, the jaguar jumped back, taking with him several strips of dress that had gotten caught on his claws and teeth. Starfire was no longer wearing a dress but a top and skirt. The blood ran down it in large flows and tinted her skirt into a very dark red colour. _

_The jaguar leapt into the air and positioned its claws for Starfire's face but suddenly, Starfire did a backwards roll just past the claws and with her hands to the ground, she pushed off and kicked the jaguar hard in the face. It collapsed with a thump._

_Slade walked past Starfire and over to the guard. He reached out for it but suddenly, the hooded woman flew down between the guard and Slade. "No, you are disqualified from the events."_

_Slade narrowed his eyes, "At what charges?" _

"_She is not a human," the hooded figure stated. Her voice seemed familiar._

_Starfire gasped, "Blackfire?"_

"That's right, little sister," the figure removed the hood to reveal an all too familiar face.

"What are you doing back on earth?"

"You never _exiled_ me from _earth_," Blackfire spat spitefully.

"You should not have come back."

"And why not?"

"Because now I shall have to fight you."

Robin, Beast Boy, Raven and Cyborg were watching the scene from above. "What do we do?" Beast Boy asked Robin.

Robin paused, he didn't know what he should do, "Starfire can handle it," he said hesitantly.

"And if she can't?" Cyborg pondered.

"She's beaten Blackfire before," Raven spoke.

"But she's taken quite a beating fighting the Brindar, and she doesn't have her powers anymore. She doesn't stand a chance," Beast Boy replied.

"We'll wait, if at any point she needs our help, Raven can teleport us down," Robin commanded.

Starfire and Blackfire had positioned themselves facing each other in the central part of the coliseum battlegrounds. They stood watching each other, either waiting for the other person to make the first move or looking for any week spots. On Starfire, Blackfire saw many. When neither would do anything, they made a mental agreement to do something at the same time. They ran towards each other and clashed in an assortment of kicks and punches. Starfire took a lot of kicks to her stomach and her sides where the Brindar had bitten and scratched her but she didn't even twitch at the sharp contact. Blackfire hadn't used her powers because she was expecting Starfire to start shooting starbolts first. She was taught never to make the first move. So they fought hand-to-hand for a long time. Eventually, Blackfire was tiring and surprised that Starfire hadn't even broken a sweat. "What is the matter, sister of mine, getting tired?" Both fighters backed away so they could talk without risking getting hit.

"I still have the strength to take you down!" Blackfire held her hand behind her back and slowly charged up a starbolt. Starfire realized what she was doing and acted as if she was doing the same. Blackfire quickly raised her fist and shot a great hail of starbolts and her sister. Starfire walked through it with ease, she got hit often but she kept walking nonetheless showing no notice of her fresh wounds. Blackfire gasped as Starfire got right up to her. She threw more and more starbolts trying to get Starfire as far away from her but they didn't stop her. The other titans watching in horror from above as Starfire refused to show any pain. Starfire took the hand from behind her back and threw it around Blackfire's neck. She held on for ten seconds and then released. Blackfire fell down heavily. Starfire looked down at her and only then realized that her eyes were glowing neon green the whole time. She allowed them to relax into their usual colour when suddenly she found herself in a completely different place. She was back on the island where she had been held imprisoned a while ago. Behind her was Slade, he had teleported her once again away from her friends.

"What do you want with me?" Starfire yelled.

"I want you to stay here. You've lost a considerable amount of blood already, I don't want anyone to save you," Slade answered smoothly.

"I feel fine," Starfire replied.

"You would. The performance enhancer hasn't worn of yet, when it does, you will feel all of the pain that you should have felt in battle, and you will wish yourself dead."

Starfire looked down. Her dress was tattered beyond fixing and her body matched, deep red blood gushed from her arms, and legs, and chest and she was surprised not to feel anything. "You will stay here and die while I make a clean getaway with this," Slade held a potion vial of clear liquid in his hand, "The prize that you won me."

Starfire's eyes flicked in one direction and quickly back to Slade. He didn't notice. "You shall never get away with this. My friends will catch you!" she shouted.

"Save your energy girl. The enhancer will wear off any moment now," as if on queue, Starfire collapsed in pain to the ground hugging her chest and screaming feebly. She bit her bottom lip as tears ran down her face. "Well, I'll be seeing you. Or maybe not," Slade said as he turned around to walk away. He stopped when something made sharp contact with the back of his head.

"Hey, Slade, I have a lesson for you," Starfire shouted. "Expect nothing." he turned to face her but was hit in his chest with a mallet. He let out all of the air in his throat and dropped the vial. Starfire slid down and caught it. Slade quickly got his breath back and went for Starfire. She ran to the very edge of the island, trying her best to fly up but failing. Slade was gaining on her and she had nowhere to go. She tried desperately to bring up her most glorious moments. Slade was about to grab her when suddenly she became airborne. She flew up high, enjoying her once lost ability to fly. Slade glared daggers at her from below. She threw many starbolts at him but before they even hit the ground, he once again disappeared. A disturbing thought occurred to Starfire. _It is not safe anywhere. As soon as I touch the ground, he can appear and take back the vial. _

So Starfire stayed up in the air.

It wasn't long when suddenly, a sharp pain thumped through her body and coursed through her blood making the wounds reopen and bleed fresh blood. Starfire hugged her chest and rolled up into a tight midair ball. Drops of red dripped into the sea. Suddenly, as fast as the pain had come, it was gone. Instead unconsciousness reeled over her.

The other Titans were shocked to find that Starfire had once again slipped away from their grasp. "Where could Slade have taken her?" Beast Boy wondered out loud.

"My guess is, back at that li'l island."

"Don't you think it's a little too obvious for Slade to go there?" Raven asked.

"Exactly, he'd think we'd think that!" Beast Boy chimed.

"Oh not this again," Cyborg sighed.

"Well let's go find out," Robin gestured for Raven to take them away. She enclosed them all in a field of black energy and disappeared. They all reappeared back at the island. Slade was nowhere to be seen.

"Over here!" shouted Raven, getting everyone's attention. They all ran up to her, there on the beach was Starfire, the waves splashing her face. She was unconscious, with a very pained expression. The water around her was stained with her blood.

"We need to get her back to the hospital wing, now!" Robin ordered.

"Hey guys, look," Beast Boy opened Starfire's tightly clenched fist to reveal the vial.

"Is that the prize?" Cyborg asked.

"Looks like it," Raven answered.

Back at the hospital wing, everyone was gathered around a sleeping Starfire talking amongst themselves. "So what do we do with the vial?"

"We can't let anyone drink it, especially not a bad guy," Cyborg looked at the medical charts, "But right now, we need to focus on Starfire. She's lost a lot of blood."

"What about a blood transfusion?" Beast Boy suggested.

"She's an alien with a completely different system. We don't know what could happen, and we shouldn't try," Cyborg replied. There was a long silence.

"I'm going to the toilet, be back in a minute," Beast Boy said to everyone, no one paid him any attention, "Ok then, I guess you guys don't care," once again he got no reply so he left.

"What's this?" Robin asked as he took a small book from the table.

"I found it in Star's other hand, it looks like a journal."

Raven took it from Robin's hand and opened it, it played some unfamiliar music. Raven flicked through the unreadable pages and then got to writing that made sense, Starfire's writing. "She was just writing up what was going on," Raven skimmed through it. She turned a couple of pages to the very last one with writing in it and suddenly her eyes brightened up. "I'll be back soon," and with that, she disappeared in a swish of black. She had taken the book with her.

At that moment, Beast Boy came back in to see Robin and Cyborg with surprised looks of anxiety on their faces and Raven nowhere to be seen. "Err, did I just miss something?"

Raven appeared again a few minutes later with several plastic bags of what could only be blood. "Where'd you get that?" asked Cyborg.

"It's Starfire's. About a year ago, around about the incident of Slade hiring you as an apprentice, Starfire was very clever to look to the future and if something such as this," Raven gestured the unconscious Starfire lying in the bed, "were to happen, she would be prepared. Every other week, Starfire would go to the nearby hospital and put aside a small amount of her own blood. Eventually it amounted up to several gallons of Tamaranian blood."

Beast Boy smiled, "I guess that's why she's so giddy every other Sunday," he chuckled.

Raven handed the bags over to Cyborg who quickly hung them up on a hook on the wall. He attached a drip to Starfire's arm and watched as a little bubble appeared in the bag. "All we can do now is wait."


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry if you think it's at all short but the next chapter will be up soon enough. Please read and review.**

"_You were running your power supply dry. It was inevitable that you would soon be unable to use them at all…"_

"_There's supposedly an underground 'competition' where super villains come with humans and make them fight this big black creature called the Brindar and if they win the villain wins this prize. They call it entertainment."_

"_The prize is an immortality potion. Can make you live forever. We can't let Slade get it."_

_She looked at her hands as if she was about to cry into them, then suddenly, they flickered neon green._

"_What have you done to me?"_

"_Performance enhancer. You will now feel no pain. Feel no fear." Starfire turned around with her arms around her chest. Suddenly, the fierce expression came back, a hand planted itself on her shoulder, "And I'm quite pleased it worked. Now you are ready."_

"_Then bring forth the Brindar!"_

_The jaguar leapt into the air and positioned its claws for Starfire's face but suddenly, Starfire did a backwards roll just past the claws and with her hands to the ground, she pushed off and kicked the jaguar hard in the face. It collapsed with a thump._

"_No, you are disqualified from the events."_

_Slade narrowed his eyes, "At what charges?" _

"_She is not a human," the hooded figure stated. Her voice seemed familiar._

_Starfire gasped, "Blackfire?"_

_Blackfire gasped as Starfire got right up to her. She threw more and more starbolts trying to get Starfire as far away from her but they didn't stop her. The other titans watching in horror from above as Starfire refused to show any pain. Starfire took the hand from behind her back and threw it around Blackfire's neck. She held on for ten seconds and then released. Blackfire fell down heavily._

_She was back on the island where she had been held imprisoned a while ago. Behind her was Slade, he had teleported her once again away from her friends._

"_The performance enhancer hasn't worn of yet, when it does, you will feel all of the pain that you should have felt in battle, and you will wish yourself dead." _

"_You will stay here and die while I make a clean getaway with this," Slade held a potion vial of clear liquid in his hand, "The prize that you won me."_

"_Over here!" shouted Raven, getting everyone's attention. They all ran up to her, there on the beach was Starfire, the waves splashing her face. She was unconscious, with a very pained expression. The water around her was stained with her blood. _

"_About a year ago, around about the incident of Slade hiring you as an apprentice, Starfire was very clever to look to the future and if something such as this," Raven gestured the unconscious Starfire lying in the bed, "were to happen, she would be prepared. Every other week, Starfire would go to the nearby hospital and put aside a small amount of her own blood. Eventually it amounted up to several gallons of Tamaranian blood." _

"_All we can do now is wait."_

It was late at night when everyone had fallen asleep when Starfire had woken up. She lay on her bed breathing gently. The pain was fresh and she could do little to subdue the expression on her face that came with it. Her eyes slowly opened. She looked around and saw the med room. No one was there. She would have thought that someone would have wanted to be there when she wakes up to give her a friendly face to look at, but no. She didn't care. She was back with the people that she loved. She didn't have the strength to notify anyone of her awakening so she snuggled down deeper into her bed and smiled. With a soft sigh, she closed her eyes and the world turned black around her.

It didn't stay black long. He eyes flashed open when suddenly; she felt a cold grip tighten around her sore and slightly severed neck. It lifted her up in such a way that she had to hold on to the hand to let the oxygen through her windpipe. It took her eyes a few second to adjust; they were tearing slightly around the edges from the sudden wave of pain that course through her body. It wasn't hard to figure out even before her eyes opened that this was Slade yet again come to seek what he so desperately wants.

"Where is it?" he demanded a little quieter than usual.

"I do not know," Starfire mustered.

"You will tell me," his grip tightened.

"In… thedraw," she coughed out.

Starfire remained in Slade's grip, if anything, it tightened. She couldn't let so much as a scream escape her lips. Slade walked over to the table by the medical charts. The table had flowers set on it and seemed like an unlikely place to put something valuable. Slade had expected the evidence room, but maybe Robin thought so too. The draw was locked. That didn't stop Slade; he ripped it out of the table in sheer desperation, and there it was, the potion vial, just where Starfire expected Robin to put it. A devilish smirk was hidden beneath the mask. "Let me go," Starfire spoke in a shaky voice.

Slade didn't reply, he just observed the bottle closely. "You know nothing of this potion, correct?" Starfire didn't answer, "I shall teach you of it before I leave, as a…reward for your service. It is a potion of immortality. Can make its drinker live forever, carefully crafted by the monks of Ningiya with very precise measures of rare and valuable ingredients. Any cubic thousandth of a milliliter could set the whole balance wrong. This brew of potion was only tested once by a wise man that walks the world collecting every piece of information of any use to him. He seeks enlightenment; he has eternity to find it. And while you age and suffer the disadvantages that it brings you, I shall be ruling this world with an iron fist," Slade finished off. Starfire winced; she still had her feet several inches off the floor. She couldn't let this happen. Starfire opened her eyes taking no notice of the tears of pain that she had been holding back and focused all the energy she could muster into a single scream. She would fight another day, she needed her rest now. Today, she would leave the fighting to her friends.

Slade narrowed his eyes at her and whispered, "You shall regret that." He then threw her by the neck into the nearest computer panel. There was a distinctive sound of what could have possibly been a broken bone or some sort of dislocation. By any means, it was internal and it was not good. She dented the panel deeply and landed with a cold thump on the bed beside it just narrowly missing the center of it and falling off the edge with a handful of sheets that cascaded down onto her newly bleeding body.

In only a matter of seconds, Robin skidded to a halt nearly into the doorframe of the med room. He ran cautiously into the room to find it completely empty. He took a second look around and noticed the two beds, one with ruffled sheets, the other with none. He noticed the fresh blood stain and dreaded who was beneath it.

"Hey, what's going on?" Cyborg ran into the room and stood in the entrance to see the flustered leader standing stock still. Ahead of him lay a pile of sheets.

The others were quick to appear beside Cyborg. They watched Robin edge slowly towards the sheets and with a quickening heart rate; he revealed what he had already realized. Starfire laid limp within the cluster of white and red. Robin stood paralyzed; fortunately, Cyborg was quick to react to such an emergency. He hoisted Starfire up and onto a new bed, ordered Beast Boy to turn on the lights; Raven to get the drip ready and he himself got the portable x-ray ready.

Not much time passed when the results were in. Starfire was diagnosed with snapped tenants in her left leg and two broken ribs. The only new wound to appear was the one she grazed on her elbow the side of the bed when she fell off it. All the fresh blood was from the wounds that had reopened with the sudden rise in blood pressure. Raven concluded that she could heal the broken tenant and numb the pains on her chest and reopened wounds but only nature can repair the damage done to the ribs.

"It was clearly Slade. He can't stop bothering Starfire," Beast Boy concluded.

"He's only after the potion," Raven argued, "Starfire just happens to be the one in the way, or the one that can help him."

"So he came here to try to get the potion back?" Cyborg asked as he came back into the room. He had only just heard the end of the conversation because he was checking some more medical charts.

"Quite obviously," Raven finished, "But did he succeed?"

"Yes. The potion vial's gone," Robin looked over the draw that was ripped from its locked in place.

It was still late at night and everyone wanted to get some sleep. Robin was the only one who chose to subside his own needs for Starfire's. He sat at her bedside and looked her over. _How could Slade have done all this to you?_ He pondered. _In the past weeks, he's practically dragged you through hell and back again. How could one man be so heartless?_ Robin stayed with her. He didn't even sleep. Starfire had woken up last time to see Slade. The next time, Robin promised to himself, he'd be the one she'd see first. Robin caressed her cheek and realized that she was burning up. He rushed to the sink in the other room and grabbed a clean rag. After soaking it in cold water, he quickly got back to the medical room. To his relief, Starfire was still there sleeping in the bed, just like he had left her. He placed the rag on her forehead and watched a drop of water make its way down the side of her face and into her hair. He thought back to the fateful day when Slade had first kidnapped her. He held a gun to her head and threatened to kill her. When he heard the gunshot, he thought it was all over for his princess. Robin took the corner of the blanket and lifted it off to reveal her arm lying on the white soft bed. He carefully lifted it up and looked it over. The wound was just a scar now, just a mark on her arm that would soon leave entirely. He placed the arm back in its place. That's when he noticed what Starfire was still wearing. The tattered black dress where mounted was the badge of Slade. The badge that represented all that Robin hated most in the world.

If Slade could now live forever, then Robin would have to make it the worst eternity imaginable. He swore revenge and he promised himself that he'd enjoy it.

**Thank you for reading now, once again, please review, thanks!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello everyone, sorry this chapter took so long, there was a lot of stuff going on at school since there's only like 6 days left! I'm leaving my school this year to go to the upper school and I found that if you join a lot of clubs then you get to go on lots of trips at the end of the year. I promise to get a new chapter up asap, maybe tomorrow if I get a good amount of reviews!**

**Also, I'd just like to say that I'm only human. I guarantee to make mistakes. If you notice any, point them out but don't be too criticizing, no flames, humans have feelings. Thanks, please R&R. **

"_You were running your power supply dry. It was inevitable that you would soon be unable to use them at all…"_

"_There's supposedly an underground 'competition' where super villains come with humans and make them fight this big black creature called the Brindar and if they win the villain wins this prize. They call it entertainment."_

"_The prize is an immortality potion. Can make you live forever. We can't let Slade get it."_

"_No, you are disqualified from the events."_

_Slade narrowed his eyes, "At what charges?" _

"_She is not a human," the hooded figure stated. Her voice seemed familiar._

_Starfire gasped, "Blackfire?"_

_Blackfire gasped as Starfire got right up to her. She threw more and more starbolts trying to get Starfire as far away from her but they didn't stop her. The other titans watching in horror from above as Starfire refused to show any pain. Starfire took the hand from behind her back and threw it around Blackfire's neck. She held on for ten seconds and then released. Blackfire fell down heavily._

_She was back on the island where she had been held imprisoned a while ago. Behind her was Slade, he had teleported her once again away from her friends._

"_Over here!" shouted Raven, getting everyone's attention. They all ran up to her, there on the beach was Starfire, the waves splashing her face. She was unconscious, with a very pained expression. The water around her was stained with her blood. _

"_About a year ago, around about the incident of Slade hiring you as an apprentice, Starfire was very clever to look to the future and if something such as this," Raven gestured the unconscious Starfire lying in the bed, "were to happen, she would be prepared. Every other week, Starfire would go to the nearby hospital and put aside a small amount of her own blood. Eventually it amounted up to several gallons of Tamaranian blood." _

"_All we can do now is wait."_

_Her eyes flashed open when suddenly; she felt a cold grip tighten around her sore and slightly severed neck. It lifted her up in such a way that she had to hold on to the hand to let the oxygen through her windpipe. It took her eyes a few second to adjust; they were tearing slightly around the edges from the sudden wave of pain that course through her body. It wasn't hard to figure out even before her eyes opened that this was Slade yet again come to seek what he so desperately wants. _

"_Where is it?"_

"_It is a potion of immortality. Can make its drinker live forever, carefully crafted by the monks of Ningiya with very precise measures of rare and valuable ingredients. Any cubic thousandth of a milliliter could set the whole balance wrong. This brew of potion was only tested once by a wise man that walks the world collecting every piece of information of any use to him. He seeks enlightenment; he has eternity to find it. And while you age and suffer the disadvantages that it brings you, I shall be ruling this world with an iron fist."_

"_The potion vial's gone."_

'_How could Slade have done all this to you?' He pondered. 'In the past weeks, he's practically dragged you through hell and back again. How could one man be so heartless?'_

_If Slade could now live forever, then Robin would have to make it the worst eternity imaginable. He swore revenge and he promised himself that he'd enjoy it. _

Starfire slowly regained consciousness and penned her eyes to see Robin fast asleep sitting on a chair with his head mounted on his folded arms which lay across the edge of Starfire's mattress. She smiled at him but the smile quickly turned into a wince as the pain came to her. She moaned slightly. "How did you sleep?" asked a sleepy voice from the side of her bed. Starfire turned to see Robin in the same position but staring intently at her through his mask. There was a reassuring smile plastered on his face.

"I have slept better," Starfire replied groggily. "You surely slept uncomfortably on that chair, why not use your bed?"

"I wanted you to see a friendly face when you woke up."

"I would be happy just seeing the tower's medical room. It is a relief to be away from Slade." Robin leant forward and gave her a gentle hug so as not to hurt her. They stayed in that position for more than a moment which Robin soon found was quite uncomfortable but nevertheless, he just couldn't let go. Starfire felt the same way, it warmed her from within. Finally Starfire moved to one side slightly and Robin took it as a signal to stop. He reluctantly pulled back. "So, in what way am I injured?" she asked hesitantly.

"You've got two broken ribs, as for everything else; Raven's taken care of it." Starfire pulled the blanket down a little to reveal bandages across her lower chest. She could pinpoint exactly which ones were broken by the throbbing feeling they gave out.

"How long have I been gone from Titan's Tower?" she asked after a brief silence.

"Little more than two weeks," Robin replied.

"And how long have I been asleep?"

"Two days."

"And you have been here by my bedside all that time?" she asked, he gave her a smile which spoke for itself. "You should get some rest. In a bed."

"You'll be ok?" he asked, she nodded slightly trying her best not to hurt herself, "Do you want anything before I go?"

"No thank you Robin, now go, sleep. I shall be fine," Starfire wriggled up deeper into her sheets and watched Robin leave the room. She sighed; _it is good to be home_. She put her head to one side to see a hospital bag full of blood; it was clearly marked with bold lettering that spelt, 'TAM. 01'. She smiled; _I knew it would come to good use in the future. _

Her eyelids fluttered shut and she soon drifted off into a deep dreamless sleep.

Robin walked down the hallway and into his room, the door shut behind him automatically and after taking two steps into the room, he collapsed onto his bed, fully dressed. He on the other hand dreamt that night. A scene materialized in front of him, he was in the National Bank. His team was on either side of him and dead ahead was a shadowed figure. Everything seemed very vibrant and detailed. The way the wind came in from the open door and messed with his hair, the tiled stone floors felt cold even through his boots, it all felt right, natural and usual but at the same time it felt wrong like something was about to happen. He automatically shouted, "Titans Go!" The shadow turned towards them, it held a face that had no features, no expression, and not even eyes could be seen from behind the darkness. Beast Boy raced forward as a green Bengal tiger and leapt into the air only to be knocked back by some unknown force that radiated an electric blue colour from the figure's outstretched hand. Next Raven aimed her magic to drop the photo frames of employees at the villain but he did a well delivered forward roll and jumped to his feet leaving the frames to smash one after the other behind him… or her. It was hard to tell. Cyborg readied his sonic cannon and Robin took out three disks from his utility belt and Starfire flew into the air with her arms outstretched. Suddenly, everything stopped. The figure threw his arms in front of him and with a wave of electric blue light that quickly faded; the team was frozen in their battle positions. An eerie ringing echoed across the room followed by a sudden bang. A split second later, the team broke free of the invisible binds holding them still completely oblivious to what had just happened. Then once again they stood stock-still but for a different reason, the figure had gone. Each titan looked around confusedly and Robin turned back to see Starfire lying sprawled across the floor with a heavy flow of blood streaming from what looked like a gunshot wound at her upper chest. She lay there, several feet behind where she was airborne not long ago with her hair spread out. She lay entirely still. Robin ran to her side but when he was about to check her pulse, she disappeared into the ground. Robin awoke in his bed and sat up for a moment thinking everything through. He decided to reassure himself by going to the medical bay to see Starfire, hopefully asleep in her bed. He got up and hastily walked to the elevator. He pressed the button and waited; but he quickly got sick of waiting and took the stairs instead. The medical bay was one floor below. He reached the room and hesitantly opened the door. Starfire was not there, all that was there was a thick, dry bloodstain where she lay before. Then he woke up.

He sat up with furrowed brows and looked around the room. It looked real enough but so did the room in his dream. Robin pinched himself hard on his arm. It hurt just like it would; but the dream made him feel pain as well. He definitely needed some reassurance. There was an obvious déjà vu feeling as he reenacted the scene from his dream, up until he bumped into Raven. "Raven, what are you doing up this early at…" he looked at the watch he was still wearing from the day before, "7 am in the morning…"

"I don't know about you but many people normally wake up at this time. What's up?"

"I didn't have a very good night's sleep."

"Well at least you slept in your bed this time. Did Starfire wake up?"

"Yeah… Raven, can you tell me something about dreams?" he asked hesitantly.

"What do you want to know?"

"Well I had this … nightmare last night and I'm worried that it might actually come true."

"Well in the case of prophetic dreams, the dreaming mind is able to piece together bits of information and observation that we normally overlook or that we do not seriously consider. In other words, our unconscious mind knows what is coming before we consciously piece together the same information. If in your dream it's something that's completely out of the blue and there is no link to anything else in the real world then it probably isn't precognitive. Maybe it's a response to real life trauma like Starfire going missing… that kind of nightmare falls under 'Post-traumatic Stress'."

"How did you know my dream was about Starfire?"

Raven started walking past Robin and he could have sworn that she whispered, "Because it always is," in his ear. He stood still for a moment and turned back to where Raven had just walked away. He mentally twitched and started making his way to the medical room.

When he good there, he saw Starfire, the same as when he had left her the previous night; asleep peacefully as she slowly recuperated. He smiled and quietly closed the door on his way to the kitchen. As he walked onwards, he thought to himself how much Starfire would appreciate a home cooked breakfast in bed meal.


	12. Chapter 12

**Once again I want to apologies for updating late, but when I wrote the last chapter I didn't realize that on Monday I was spending the whole day at a theatre rehearsing for a play and in the evening performing it and that on Tuesday I would be in London at the Tate Modern Art Gallery as a trip for art gifted and talented club. As for Tuesday afternoon, I had to finish (and start) some assessed work that I had only just found out about on Monday… well that's what I get for not going to English lessons for two weeks (I was busy then too). I know that you guys are worth more than my stupid excuses so in all honesty, I have no good reasons for being late; I hope you can all forgive me. **

"_You were running your power supply dry. It was inevitable that you would soon be unable to use them at all…"_

"_The prize is an immortality potion. Can make you live forever. We can't let Slade get it."_

"_No, you are disqualified from the events."_

_Starfire gasped, "Blackfire?"_

_She was back on the island where she had been held imprisoned a while ago. Behind her was Slade, he had teleported her once again away from her friends._

"_Over here!" shouted Raven, getting everyone's attention. They all ran up to her, there on the beach was Starfire, the waves splashing her face. She was unconscious, with a very pained expression. The water around her was stained with her blood. _

"_All we can do now is wait."_

"_Where is it?"_

"_The potion vial's gone!"_

_If Slade could now live forever, then Robin would have to make it the worst eternity imaginable. He swore revenge and he promised himself that he'd enjoy it. _

"_I would be happy just seeing the tower's medical room. It is a relief to be away from Slade." _

"_You've got two broken ribs, as for everything else; Raven's taken care of it." _

_He collapsed onto his bed, fully dressed. He on the other hand dreamt that night. _

_Suddenly, everything stopped. The figure threw his arms in front of him and with a wave of electric blue light that quickly faded; the team was frozen in their battle positions. An eerie ringing echoed across the room followed by a sudden bang. A split second later, the team broke free of the invisible binds holding them still completely oblivious to what had just happened. Then once again they stood stock-still but for a different reason, the figure had gone. Each titan looked around confusedly and Robin turned back to see Starfire lying sprawled across the floor with a heavy flow of blood streaming from what looked like a gunshot wound at her upper chest._

_Then he woke up._

"_Maybe it's a response to real life trauma like Starfire going missing… that kind of nightmare falls under 'Post-traumatic Stress'"_

"_How did you know my dream was about Starfire?"_

"_Because it always is."_

Starfire awoke to the sound of birds chirping. She looked at her surroundings and smiled. She felt refreshed and happy and feelings that were hard to recognize and describe, having not felt them in so long. As if on cue, Robin appeared at the door carrying a tray. Starfire could not see what was on it from her angle and only when Robin went right up to her and placed it on her bedside table did she realize that it was food. There on the tray lay several plates, one with eggs benedict, another with several strips of bacon, a third one held an egg cup with a large brown egg inside. By the plates was a cup of what looked like orange juice. "You hungry?" asked Robin as he placed the tray on the bedside table.

Starfire's face brightened up even more than it had when she had just woken up. Without even answering, she practically threw the tray onto one side of her bed and devoured everything hastily, still managing to give herself time to savour each individual taste. Robin chuckled quietly to himself as he watched her happily eat. "I guess you haven't eaten a good home cooked meal in a while."

When the tray was clear of all food, Starfire lay back down comfortably in her bed and smiled at Robin, "thank you very much, Robin, I really appreciate all that you have done for me."

"Well it was only a breakfast in bed," Robin said modestly.

"No, I mean, for everything. Before Slade had taken me away, I never truly appreciated all that I have here, great friends, good food, a warm home, entertainment and opportunity, I have overlooked all that I should have been very grateful for. For that, I am very sorry, it shall never happen again," Very tiny tears welled up in her eyes and one managed to break through the invisible barrier and trickle down her cheek.

"Star, being grateful for what we have is something we can all improve at, you shouldn't be sorry. Honestly, I'm more guilty of the crime than you are. When you were gone, I realized how much I need you, how much you matter to all of us," he paused awkwardly thinking of what more he can say on the subject. When he couldn't think of anything, he asked, "So, how did you like your breakfast?"

"I love you - I mean I loved it," Starfire hastily corrected herself with a sheepish grin.

Robin smirked at her, "What did you say?"

"I loved it."

"No, before that."

"I… mean?"

"The three words before that," Robin pushed.

"I… love you," Starfire repeated hesitantly.

Robin smiled warmly at her, "I love you too." Robin walked over to the side of her bed and wrapped his arms around her; she did the same to him. Starfire rested her head on his shoulder and he laced one hand onto the back of her head, gently stroking her hair. They stayed like that for a few moments before Robin pulled back, footsteps were coming from the hallway where the door was still open. Robin picked up the tray and started walking towards the doorway. Suddenly, Beast Boy and Cyborg came into the room, slowly followed by Raven. As Robin passed them all, he threw Starfire a glace and a smile, which she happily returned.

"Hey, how are you feeling girl?" Cyborg asked as he walked over to the medical charts.

"Much better than I did with Slade."

"You gave us quite a scare, you know," Beast Boy said caringly as he sat down where Robin was sitting just moments ago.

"I am sorry for everything," she replied meekly.

"You shouldn't be, it was all Slade's doing," Raven joined Cyborg at the charts.

"So, exactly what happened with your powers?" asked Beast Boy hesitantly. Robin just walked through the doorway and sat down by Starfire.

"Well, since I used my powers more often than a Tamaranian should, they had run out. Slade told me that all my powers needed were a little push and then there'd be nothing left. He said that he had shot me so that my powers would switch off at a more convenient time and not when I am in battle."

"Is that what he told you?" asked Cyborg.

"He also said that it is rumoured that a great evil is coming."

"You didn't lose your powers because you used them too often, he drugged you Star," Cyborg told her. Starfire turned wild-eyed. "There are trace amounts of a neutralizing drug still in your blood. Not much, it should be gone soon enough. But not only that, there was some kind of performance enhancer there too, that's why you were hurt over and over when fighting Brindar and didn't show any pain."

"And I only felt the pain when the enhancer wore off."

"And you were hovering several feet above water at the time," Raven continued.

"So the pain was enough to make you black out," Beast Boy skepticized.

"So, you knew about the enhancer?" asked Robin.

"He had injected it into me when he took me to the training room."

"You've really been through a lot," Raven said solemnly.

"Yeah, Slade's a jerk," Beast Boy stated spitefully.

"And now he lives forever," Cyborg added.

"If he's now immortal, let's make it the worst eternity of his life!" Robin proposed.

"Actually," Starfire began while grinning madly, "He is not immortal at all. When the performance enhancer wore off, the last thing I did before I fainted was I uncorked the vial and replaced some of the liquid with sea water." Smiles appeared amongst the group. "I guessed that the ingredients were all measured out carefully, and my suspicions were soon confirmed when Slade explained about the vial when he came to steal it. The best part is that he now thinks that he is immortal and will take more risks and be more daring-,"

"And fall under a false sense of confidence," Robin interrupted.

"And fall right into our trap," Cyborg finished.

"Oh this is going to be so sweet!" Beast Boy rubbed his hands together menacingly.

The Titans decided to let Slade make the first move and so now they had to wait for his appearance. Robin sat at the counter doing a crossword puzzle with Cyborg looking over his shoulder while casually getting a glass of milk. Beast Boy was sitting at the window sill staring out attentively. Robin noticed him but chose not to say anything; instead he got back to the puzzle. "Six letter word for a number puzzle…" Robin mumbled to himself.

"Sudoku," Cyborg answered.

"I wasn't asking for your help."

"A good friend doesn't need to be asked to help them," Cyborg smugly replied.

"Well this friend doesn't want any help," Robin said edgily. There was an annoying silence between the two as Cyborg put the milk back into the fridge. "So… how do you spell Sudoku?"

Cyborg didn't answer instead; he went up to Beast Boy, "What are you looking at?"

"What do you think Raven's doing?" Beast Boy asked without taking his eyes away from the window. Outside, Raven was meditating a foot of the ground casually but every once in a while, a wave of ebony magic would quickly pass over the grass around her and then she'd move slightly to one side and repeat the wave of magic.

"Dunno. You gonna go ask her?" asked Cyborg.

"Yeah, I'll go do that," Beast Boy got up from the window sill and opened the front door. He walked up to Raven with his hands in his pockets and looked at the wave of magic that was swishing across the grass. He reached out to try to touch the wave as it went across.

"Don't do that," Raven snapped.

Beast Boy quickly pulled his hand back, "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Look closely, but not too close," Raven replied.

Beast Boy looked up at her and saw that she had her eyes closed and she had the same serene look on her face that she normally had. He turned his attention towards the magic. Beast Boy chuckled. "Cool, you're cutting the grass." He noticed that every time the magic passed over the grass, the tops of the blades would snip off and shower the ground. "How long have you been doing this?" he asked casually.

"Just about twenty minutes."

"Why?"

"…I was bored," she answered hesitantly.

"You know, most people watch the grass grow, not decapitate it."

"It's grown enough already. When was the last time someone cut it?"

"Dunno. I think Starfire normally cut it when _she_ was bored." An awkward silence passed between them and allowed the sound of grass being cut to be heard. "After Robin taught her how to use the lawnmower and was sure she wouldn't run herself or anyone else down."

"We have a lawnmower?"

"Hehe, that's what I said. So, what do you do with all pieces of grass when you're done? They're all over the place."

The sound of Raven's magic abruptly stopped. "I do this," Suddenly, a swarm of green snippets of grass rose up from every stretch of ground on the island with a loud 'whoosh' sound and collected up in a great ball of green which, when as compact as it could get, collapsed onto Beast Boy. After a slight pause, a little green mouse burrowed out from under the heap and morphed into Beast Boy.

"Hehe, nice one!" He started doggy paddling in the heap of grass. Raven inwardly chuckled.

Back inside, Robin was reading one question over and over again trying to think up the answer. Cyborg had given up on whispering the answers over Robin's shoulder and went onto the computer to reorganize some of his files and write up some information onto the computer database. Also, he wanted to do some research on the immortality potion. They were both keeping themselves busy when the door suddenly opened. There stood Starfire holding onto a metal bar suspended on four wheels that held up a sachet of blood and a drip attached to her arm. She looked a little faint but healthier than they had seen her lately. "Hey Star, what brings you here?" Cyborg asked from the computer, Robin looked up.

"Hello Friends, I was just a little bored."

"You wanna help me with my crossword puzzle?" asked Robin. Cyborg glowed at him but went back to his work, Starfire walked across the room and pulled another chair up behind Robin never letting go of the bar.

Robin read out the questions one by one and Starfire would pause at each one and then answer almost all of them, when they were finished, Starfire noticed something, "Where is Raven and Beast Boy?"

"They're outside," Cyborg answered.

"I shall go visit them."

When Starfire got outside, she was surprised to see Beast Boy diving in and out of a great heap of what looked like grass, and was even more surprised that Raven was smiling tenderly at him. She turned her attention to Starfire, still smiling. "Hey Star, how are you feeling?"

"Just a little sore, but better than I have been feeling lately. Please, what is Beast Boy doing?"

"Enjoying his youth," replied Raven while getting up from the ground, "And acting like an idiot," she added and walked away.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello everyone! Sorry I took so long to write this, but it is quite long. **

**I'd like to give special thanks to all my lovely reviews. I love you guys so much! You make me so happy. I'm thrilled to say that the 'favs' and 'alert' numbers now match up to my most loved story and now that I've posted this chapter up, the chapter totals the same too. The only thing that differs is the reviews. For this story I have 39, for my other 'Witch Trials' I have 82. Please please please review, it will make me ever so happy! **

**I love this chapter, and I really think that Step on Me is going to love it too coz part of it was inspired by her lovely _desperate_ review. If you have the time, read it, you'll get where I got part of the chapter from. Have fun reading it!**

"_You were running your power supply dry. It was inevitable that you would soon be unable to use them at all…"_

"_The prize is an immortality potion. Can make you live forever. We can't let Slade get it."_

"_No, you are disqualified from the events."_

_Starfire gasped, "Blackfire?"_

_She was back on the island where she had been held imprisoned a while ago. Behind her was Slade, he had teleported her once again away from her friends._

"_The potion vial's gone!"_

_If Slade could now live forever, then Robin would have to make it the worst eternity imaginable. He swore revenge and he promised himself that he'd enjoy it. _

"_I would be happy just seeing the tower's medical room. It is a relief to be away from Slade." _

"_You've got two broken ribs, as for everything else; Raven's taken care of it." _

"_Raven, can you tell me something about dreams?" _

"_Maybe it's a response to real life trauma like Starfire going missing… that kind of nightmare falls under 'Post-traumatic Stress'"_

"_How did you know my dream was about Starfire?"_

"_Because it always is."_

"_Before Slade had taken me away, I never truly appreciated all that I have here, great friends, good food, a warm home, entertainment and opportunity, I have overlooked all that I should have been very grateful for. For that, I am very sorry, it shall never happen again," Very tiny tears welled up in her eyes and one managed to break through the invisible barrier and trickle down her cheek. _

"_Star, being grateful for what we have is something we can all improve at, you shouldn't be sorry. Honestly, I'm more guilty of the crime than you are. When you were gone, I realized how much I need you, how much you matter to all of us."_

"_So, how did you like your breakfast?"_

"_I love you - I mean I loved it."_

"_I love you too."_

"_He is not immortal at all. When the performance enhancer wore off, the last thing I did before I fainted was I uncorked the vial and replaced some of the liquid with sea water." Smiles appeared amongst the group. "I guessed that the ingredients were all measured out carefully, and my suspicions were soon confirmed when Slade explained about the vial when he came to steal it. The best part is that he now thinks that he is immortal and will take more risks and be more daring-,"_

"_And fall under a false sense of confidence," Robin interrupted._

"_And fall right into our trap," Cyborg finished._

It was a week since the Titans found Starfire on the beach of the island which had since sunk back down and out of sight. Robin had refused the paparazzi to interview Starfire or any other Titans but nevertheless, they bugged rooms and peeped through the windows. They were desperate to let the public know how the Titans would deal with what they gathered was an immortal villain. Starfire was speeding down the road of recovery which turned down to be much smoother than everyone thought it would be, and there had been no sightings of Slade. The paparazzi were quickly losing interest and one by one they left. Normality was soon restored to the Titans Tower.

"Dude, what the heck are you doing? I said _no_ back double jump lower spinning kicks! Its way too easy if you do that move, it's no fun like that!" Beast Boy complained as the 'game over' sign appeared on the screen.

"Sorry man, I thought you overruled that rule when you did it yourself," Cyborg argued.

"When did I ever?"

"At the beginning of the game, _twice_, and I _still_ beat ya!" Cyborg cheered.

"New game?" Beast Boy suggested.

"Of course, but first, snacks!"

"Good morning friends," Starfire's voice rang out across the main room but noticeably fainter than it once was.

"Morning," they replied one by one adding their own characteristics to how they said it.

"How you feeling?" asked Robin from the coach.

"Much better," Starfire answered.

"Well that's just great 'cause you can have the bandages off today," Cyborg called from the counter from behind a large sandwich.

"Are you powers back to normal then?" asked Beast Boy.

"I do not know. I have not tried to use them yet."

"So I'm guessing we've having a training day today?" Beast Boy asked no one in particular.

"Oh yes! I've been meaning to try this new move I saw on Karate Kid last week."

"Starfire, you want me to help you with those bandages first?" asked Robin.

"That would be most appreciated."

Robin and Starfire left the room together leaving a pair of smug grins behind them. "You think it could get any more obvious?" Cyborg whispered to Beast Boy.

"If it did then they'd be wearing signs on their foreheads. You wanna check it out?"

Cyborg took a little black remote from a compartment in his chest that had never been seen there before. "I've already got it sorted."

He pressed a button and all of a sudden, the large screen tv with the words 'game over' turned to a view of the medical room. Starfire walked into it closely followed by Robin. They were talking, but no sounds came from their mouths. Cyborg pressed another button just in time to hear Starfire say, "It is a most glorious day today."

Beast Boy stared agape at the screen and let out a low "oooh".

"Say, how about we go to the park later on?" came Robin's voice from the speakers.

"That would be most wonderful. Just us two?"

"You want Cyborg and Beast Boy to be arguing all the way there?"

"Just us two then." Starfire sat down on the bed and found the little tag that held the end of the bandages secure around her lower chest. Robin sat down next to her and looked at her face. Their eyes met and they were still and silent for a moment. Suddenly the screen was full of static and then turned off entirely.

"Hey, what just happened?" Yelled a rather outraged Beast Boy.

"I dunno, it just turned off."

"TV doesn't just turn off, you must have sat on the remote!"

"You shouldn't be prying into other people's personal lives," a calm cold voice spoke out across the room. Cyborg and Beast Boy froze in shock. They turned their heads around slowly to see Raven walking into the room.

Beast Boy and Cyborg said nothing for a moment and then immediately rushed to explain what they were doing and ended up making no more sense than a tomato with wheels fitted on. There was silence once again.

"You don't need any explanations. It's clear enough. Neither of you have any personal lives and so you chose to fill in the blank with other peoples'. Loads of people do it. That's what porn's for. But you shouldn't do it to friends. Or you won't have any," Raven raised her hand to reveal a little black remote, "I'll be taking this with me. Don't. Do it. Again," and having said that, she left the room again.

"Now what?" Beast Boy asked.

"You know, Raven's right. It's wrong to pry into Robin and Star's relationship. But what if the television just happens to turn to the 'wrong' channel?" Cyborg lifted his hand to reveal another little black remote.

The TV turned back to the medical room. The sound was off again. Robin and Star looked over in one direction. Robin got up and walked out of the room. Cyborg turned the volume back on in time for Robin to come back and whisper something into Starfire's ear. Her eyebrows rose in astonishment. Robin leant away from Star's ear so he could talk normally. "You know what, I think we should leave the team," he said confidently.

"What are you saying?"

"I've had enough of Beast Boy's bad jokes and Cyborg's obsession with electronics."

"I agree. And what's more, I'd rather live in Slade's house of evil than here. No one ever cleans anything around here. Have you seen Beast Boy's room lately?"

"No, I've kinda been avoiding that hallway lately."

Beast Boy and Cyborg watched the screen wide-eyed.

"Raven's the only one out of them that even cares about anyone but themselves. Well unless things get personal, then their all ears!"

"I do not even know what that means and I agree with you," Starfire replied angrily.

"For all we know, they could be _watching us_ with a _hidden camera right now!_," he stressed and both Star and Robin looked straight at the camera.

"Oh oh. They're on to us!" Beast Boy cried.

"Run!" shouted Cyborg. They both ran out for their own rooms, careful to leave the TV on any channel but that one.

Unknown to anyone, Raven was watching the main room with a smirk on her face. She watched Beast Boy and Cyborg clamber out of the room with the cooking channel left on.

In the medical room, Starfire and Robin collapsed with laughter rolling on the bed and then falling off only to roll some more on the floor. When they managed to silence their laughter, they sat up on the floor and smiled at each other. "You know, you've gotten a lot better at acting," Robin said to her.

"I disagree, that did not sound like anything I would normally say." There was a silence and they both collapsed laughing again.

Half the day passed without anything else at all interesting happening and frankly, everyone was bored. Beast Boy and Cyborg took to acting casually around Starfire and Robin and Raven chose to drop the subject and stay comfortably in her room lost in a horror book. After Starfire and Robin finally stopped laughing, they joined in being bored with everyone else. All in all, the Titans had made a mental agreement never to speak of what had happened ever again, though Cyborg and Beast Boy had never said anything about spying on their friends again.

On top of the kitchen counter there was a battle scene. A legion of toy soldiers were standing in one big mass on one side and on the other stood the solid forms of a Batman, a Robin and several G. I. Joes action figures. Beast Boy's face slowly came into view from one side of the counter. "Silence looms over the battle field. Not a whisper is heard from amongst the armies. With an army of no less than twenty million billion men on one side and Batman, Robin and the fighting expertise of a G. I. Joes fighting squad armed with nothing carrot sticks and paperclips, who will win?" Beast Boy whispered quietly to himself. "Ah, but what is this? Oh no! In the distance! It's… It's the killer cookie puncturing the eyes of millions!" A chocolate chip cookie appears from one side of the counter. "It will devour you with its sweetness!" he hissed. "But what's this? The G. I. Joes squad is moving in with an arsenal of pitchfork paperclips! Die evil cookie!" he spat as he poked at the cookie with a bent paperclip which he held with the figure. "There is no one the cookie can trust. It can only last so long when the only one it trusts is Godzilla! And there he is in all his glory!" Beast Boy morphed into the smallest dinosaur he could which took up half the kitchen. Then he started bashing his head dramatically against the counter careful not to damage it. He then got up onto the counter and hopped up and down a bit on the figures. Morphing back, he looked across the scene. "And so the battle ends," he said sadly.

"You quite done yet?" asked Cyborg suddenly from the other side of the kitchen. Beast Boy jumped up. Cyborg chuckled. "Scared ya!"

"Hey, no you didn't! There's _scared_ and there's _surprised_!"

"And you were both!" Cyborg sniggered. "So, what was that all about?"

"I was practicing my moves!" Beast Boy said dramatically and somewhat darkly (or that's what he thought) he turned his back to Cyborg and looked across the table.

"What, bashing your head against the table?" Beast Boy scowled.

"For your information, it had Robin terrified."

Cyborg looked at him disbelievingly, "What, him?" he pointed his thumb over his shoulder at Robin who had just walked in casually slurping a milkshake. "Yes, he's terrified about your wellbeing. Thinks you need to see a doctor."

"No not _that_ Robin! This one!" he pointed to a little plastic Robin action figure lying across the table with a heroic permanent expression plastered over his face.

Robin walked up to them thinking that they were calling for him. He set down the milkshake and looked at the action figure with a mixed look of confusion and dislike. "Does my hair always look that …_unruly?" _he asked stressing the last word.

"Only every day of your waking life," Cyborg muttered bringing up from behind the counter, seemingly out of nowhere, a giant sandwich. "And the crowds hush as the piece de resistance appears seemingly out of nowhere. But it shall not live past its expiration date for the vicious metal man will get its better side! And eat it in his mouth," he added in a similar fashion to Beast Boy's previous outburst. He sank his teeth into it and ferociously chewed on it, "And the cheese screams for mercy!" he spat with his mouth full, "the individual slices of tomato _bleed_ with pain! And tomato sauce! Die evil baloney! Dieee!" he hissed. He hastily and angrily ate the rest of his sandwich. "And now all that is left are the innocent bypassing sesame seeds that will soon blow away in the wind." He looked at the few sesame seeds on the table and blew at them till they were gone from the table. "Until next time."

Beast Boy stood by with a disapproving expression, "You are really bad at this!" he hissed with narrow eyes.

Robin had left the kitchen without either of them noticing, probably before Cyborg's outburst. He was sitting watching television. The cooking channel was surprisingly still on from much earlier that morning. He only just managed to get comfortable when Starfire walked up to him, but did not sit down. He looked up at her; she had something in her hands, which was undeniably a book. "What's up Star?

"I wanted to show you something."

Robin sat up from his comfortably position and gestured for her to sit down. "What is it?"

"This is what I found on the island on the first day of my imprisonment. Whoever wrote in it before I was surely from another world. And whenever I opened the cover, familiar music played. What could it possibly be?" she handed the book to Robin who inspected it carefully, in the mean time, she kept talking. "Could it possibly be from my childhood and someone had planted it there knowing that I would find it? Or maybe Slade placed it there to make me think so? Or maybe the Citadelians had attempted to –,"

"No, I really doubt it."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Right here," he pointed to the back of the cover, "See, 'made in China'."

Beast Boy had overheard they're odd conversation and walked closer careful not to violate their personal area or even their eyesight. Memories for earlier that morning were still too fresh to have him caught eavesdropping a second time that same day. He looked over Robin's shoulder from a distance and saw what he was holding. He immediately jumped forward and caught their attention. "Hey, that's mine!" he didn't say it in a rude or snappy way, but he clearly pointed out by the way he said it that he wanted the book back. What he said surprised Robin and Starfire. "What are you doing with my diary?" that time he said it more snappily.

"Your diary?"

"Yes!" he snatched the book from Robin and pointed to the cover, "See? 'BD', 'Beast Boy's Diary. So,… what were you two saying earlier about minding other people's privacy, etc, etc?"

"Please, Beast Boy, I didn't know it was your diary. I found it on the island and thought it was something otherworldly," Starfire explained. "Sorry?"

"You should be," he stated a little meaner than he intended and walked away.

Robin and Starfire just stared at each other dumbstruck.

'_Dear merciful X'hal, I beseech thee, please release me from the clutches of Slade. I truly am scared of what he is planning to do to me – what he _can_ do to me. This day was worse than the others. I have been smashing rocks for – I do not know how long… for reasons that I am uncertain of, I have not stayed awake for longer than three hours at the most, in three hour intervals. I am sure that this is another of Slade's plans, he probably has been 'drugging' me while I sleep, and the irregular sleeps have really drained me, I feel weak, but that could have something to do with all the exercise that Slade has been forcing onto me. Or not having my powers to give me strength anymore, or not having my friends for the same reason._

_I cried last night. I cannot stand not having my powers. I did not realize before but in a way, they warm me. Without them, I feel much colder, as if I am about to burn out. But once again, it could be the cold night air that makes me feel cold. I feel helpless. Please, friends, I pray to you, please come soon, I -,'_

Beast Boy quickly closed the diary shut. There was someone knocking at his door. "Who is it?" he called out casually as he rummaged to hide the book but soon realizing that it was his and he didn't have to hide it. Robin and Star knew that he had it, and it was his.

"Starfire, may I come in?"

"Yeah sure," the door swooshed open and in came Starfire, "What's up?"

"I wanted to apologize for looking through, and, as you may have noticed, _writing_ in your diary. It was not my place to do so and I am truly sorry."

"It's ok Star," there was a silence when Beast Boy sheepishly rubbed the back of his head while Starfire awkwardly stood by, "I… kinda want to apologize too, I was reading through what you wrote."

"Do not feel ashamed of it. It does not matter."

Once again there was an odd silence, "You were really scared, weren't you?"

Starfire didn't answer, but the answer was clear enough, "I thought that I had lost my powers forever." Starfire sat down on Beast Boy's bed ignoring all of the rubbish that was gathered up on the floor. Beast Boy sat on his chair backwards facing her, "I thought that I would not be allowed to remain one of the Teen Titans because I did not have powers any longer. I did not know what I would do." She was staring at the floor with slight tears welling up in her eyes.

"Well… hey, Robin doesn't have any super powers and he's on the team," Beast Boy tried to reassure her. She didn't react at all to what he said. "I'm sure you're just as strong as he is."

"But I am not. I always relied on my powers for everything. I was never truly strong or at all gifted. I am just like everybody else from Tamaran, only I used my powers more often."

"Hey hey hey, Star, of course you're gifted! You're the kindest and most thoughtful person I know. And even if you don't think you're strong, you'll always be determined. And listen, you may be just like everyone else on Tamaran, but you're a goddess among humans." Starfire looked at him and smiled, "You'd always be welcome back to the Titans. We all care about you here. You're part of the family."

Starfire beamed a watery smile at him. "Thank you Beast Boy, I care about you too." She leant in to give him a hug which he caringly accepted. It was a rather weak hug in comparison to her usual hugs before the whole kidnapping thing. It reminded Beast Boy of when they rescued Starfire from the burning building and the very long romantically meaningless hug that she gave him.

They pulled back and just looked at each other for a moment. Beast Boy quickly found it awkward and coughed nervously, "So… how much did you read?"

"Hmm?"

"From my diary? How much of it did you read?"

"Beast Boy, how could you accuse your friend of reading from your diary? I could not possibly read it!" Starfire said playfully through a slight smile. She got up and made for the door, "Actually, I really could not read it. Honestly, I cannot read wingding."

She left the room. Beast Boy stayed sat backwards on his chair and let what she had just said sink in. "Hey!"

**Hi guys, well that was the chapter. I want to know what you think. Corny? Was there too much Star BB and not enough Star Rob? Or was the whole BB thing sweet? What should I do for the next chapter? Should Slade make a sudden appearance in a tutu and tiara? How about the next chapter is Robin and Starfire going for the stroll in the park that was mentioned earlier when Slade appears? Would you hate me if I made Slade torture her again? Should Robin unexpectedly get killed? I want to know what you think! Please review!**

**P.S. I think this is my longest chapter ever!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks so much all of you! This may not be my most reviewed story but it is definitely my most popular! Thank you all who have ever reviewed and/or favouritised and/or alertised this or any of my other stories! You guys mean so much to me. But there's something that still confuses me a bit, if at least 40 people read my latest chapter when it comes out then why do only about 4 people review it? Please put in a little effort to make me smile today guys (those who have reviewed regularly had been putting in tons). At least do a smiley face in the review. One-liners can make me smile just as much as a 200 word essay :)**

"_You were running your power supply dry. It was inevitable that you would soon be unable to use them at all…"_

"_The potion vial's gone!"_

_If Slade could now live forever, then Robin would have to make it the worst eternity imaginable. He swore revenge and he promised himself that he'd enjoy it. _

"_So, how did you like your breakfast?"_

"_I love you - I mean I loved it."_

"_I love you too."_

"_He is not immortal at all. When the performance enhancer wore off, the last thing I did before I fainted was I uncorked the vial and replaced some of the liquid with sea water." Smiles appeared amongst the group. "I guessed that the ingredients were all measured out carefully, and my suspicions were soon confirmed when Slade explained about the vial when he came to steal it. The best part is that he now thinks that he is immortal and will take more risks and be more daring-,"_

"_And fall under a false sense of confidence," Robin interrupted._

"_And fall right into our trap," Cyborg finished._

_Normality was soon restored to the Titans Tower._

"_Neither of you have any personal lives and so you chose to fill in the blank with other peoples'. Loads of people do it. But you shouldn't do it to friends. Or you won't have any," Raven raised her hand to reveal a little black remote, "I'll be taking this with me. Don't. Do it. Again," and having said that, she left the room again._

"_Raven's the only one out of them that even cares about anyone but themselves. Well unless things get personal, then they're all ears!"_

"_I do not even know what that means and I agree with you," Starfire replied angrily. _

"_For all we know, they could be watching us with a hidden camera right now," he stressed and both Star and Robin looked straight at the camera._

"_Oh oh. They're on to us!" Beast Boy cried._

**Ok, so a lot more happened in the last chapter. All in all, just to refresh your memories I'll just give it to you straight. Beast Boy played war games with toy soldiers and batman, robin and g.i. joes', a choco chip cookie got involved and then Godzilla came in, Cyborg ate a sandwich dramatically, the 'BD' book turned out to be Beast Boy's diary and it lead BB and Star to have some fluffy moments. Aww… NOW ON WITH THE SHOW!**

**Hang on just one moment, I'm sorry to say that I personally think that this chapter sucks, I'm very sorry but I tried to rewrite it about 4 times but this is the best I could get :( I'll try to post the next chapter quickly to make up for it. **

Surprisingly, with all that happened that day, it was only 3 pm. Robin had promised a training day and so everyone was outside warming up their unique abilities. Starfire was hovering high in the air overjoyed by her flight, Beast Boy was shouting at the wall, Cyborg was staring amusedly at him, Robin was stretching and Raven was meditating quietly in midair.

"What the _heck_ were you doing in my way?" Beast Boy shouted angrily at the wall gesturing madly with his arms, "If you _ever_ think if even crossing my path… oh ho ho, there is gonna be trouble!"

Raven floated down to join Cyborg staring at Beast Boy, "What's up with tweedledumb over there?"

"Little suggestion, don't follow in Beast Boy's footsteps. He runs into walls."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind," Raven muttered unenthusiastically.

"Ok everyone, let's get this started," Robin shouted for everyone to hear, especially Starfire who was now quite far out of hearing range of even Beast Boy. But surprisingly, she had heard him and flew down immediately.

"Ok, so, I thought that today we could focus on the basics. When we've got ourselves all stretched out, we could start to think out a plan to bring down Slade. Got it?" In reply, Robin got a wave of nods, "Ok then let's start with a bit of sparring."

"Cool, I'm going first!" Beast Boy cried enthusiastically waving his hard high above his head.

"I'll fight 'im," Cyborg chirped in.

"'K then," said Robin, "You're funeral," he muttered under his breath.

They had barely been in the arena for 2 minutes before Cyborg had BB pinned down. But as an unlikely turn of events, Beast Boy morphed into a kangaroo and booted Cyborg clear out of the ring. Next to fight the winner was Raven who smirked menacingly at Beast Boy as she entered the ring. "Com'on Rae, show me what you got!" Beast Boy egged her on. It didn't intimidate her one bit, if anything, her smirk only grew bigger.

"With pleasure," as soon as Raven got into the ring, Beast Boy had transformed back to the kangaroo form that he only just had a few moments ago. The kangaroo was wearing comical boxing trunks and was swinging his fists and hopping lightly on the spot. Within moments, the kangaroo was being suspended high in the air by the back of his trunks and giving out painful screams as he struggled to get away. Raven was still smirking 20 feet below.

"Ok, ok, I think he's had enough, Raven," Robin wrote something on a sheet of paper and looked up and Beast Boy.

He morphed into a sparrow and feet out from the trunks. He landed square in the middle of the ring. "Hey, Raven, that's hardly fair! I didn't even get a chance to give up the ol' one two!" Beast Boy whined. A pair of trunks fell on top of his head.

"Just one of the advantages of having extraordinary inhuman powers."

"Ok, Star, you're up next."

Beast Boy got out of the ring muttering indecently under his breath. Starfire replaced him looking very uncertain with what she had to do. Raven remained surefooted and chose not to attack Starfire in the same humiliating method as she had used with Beast Boy. _I'll make it easier for Star. After what she's been through, can she still remember how to shoot starbolts?_ Raven wondered to herself. _I'll make the first move,_ knowing it was always best for the opponent to start the fight. Raven swung her leg at midlevel towards Starfire in one fluid swish. For a fleeting moment she thought it was going to hit and push Starfire back at least a couple of meters. But that moment came and went as quickly as what happened next did.

Starfire had grabbed Raven by the leg and spun her round in a big circle before releasing her into the bands at the far side of the arena. Raven sat up wide-eyed, she certainly hadn't expected that, and by the looks of things, neither had Starfire. She was staring horrorstruck at Raven. Raven got up and shaking her head and blinking hard, almost fell over from her dizziness. She regained herself quickly. Raven flew up about 10meters above the arena, Starfire followed her up there. She hesitantly threw a couple of starbolts, with each one; she grew more and more confident. Raven flew side to side to avoid each one, but it was getting harder as they came at her quicker. Raven noticed a pattern in where each starbolt went and soon found it much easier to avoid them. But suddenly, the bolts stopped coming, looking ahead, Raven saw Starfire drawing up a great big starbolt above her head. She threw it at Raven not giving her much time to draw up a shield, but still enough. Raven closed her eyes tightly until she felt no more force on the shield, so she lowered it, but Starfire was no longer in front of her. Raven gazed around cautiously; she was nowhere to be seen. Doing the clever thing, Raven focused on Starfire's aura. _She's right above you._ Raven looked up and saw Starfire looking down, seemingly lying down in midair with her back to the sky. Raven then attempted to pull her down with a wave of ebony magic.

She gaped at Starfire, "How did you do that?" she asked slowly under her breath. Her eyes were wide open, she could not believe them. Starfire was hovering above her holding on to the rope of magic. She dived down at a great speed still holding on to the magic rope. Starfire flew around the stunned Raven tying her up with her own spell. She then dived down once more and stopped abruptly to watch Raven comet down to the ground.

Robin, Beast Boy and Cyborg were staring mouth open at her from below. Starfire flew to the ground and helped Raven to her feet.

Starfire had surprised everyone, including herself. Raven's magic had been broken before, but never manipulated. "Raven, I -," Starfire stuttered, "I do not know what happened, are you well?"

"I'm… fine," Raven hesitantly replied. "What- what was that back there?"

Starfire didn't answer before Cyborg cut in, "Ok, Star v Rob, winner take all!"

Raven walked out of the ring sparing Starfire an odd glance before flying over to the sidelines where Beast Boy and Cyborg stood. Raven and Robin exchanged concerned looks before Robin took her place in the arena. "Ok Star, how about we go hand-to-hand?"

Starfire flew down, planted her feet firmly onto the ground and gave Robin a curt little nod.

Robin, unlike Raven, chose not to be polite and make it easier for Starfire, but chose reluctantly to go with his instincts. They both walked around each other neither making the first move. "C'mon already! I'm running outta popcorn!" Beast Boy shouted from the sidelines.

Robin decided to go ahead and start the match. The two went into their battle stances and Starfire braced herself for she knew Robin would make the first move eventually if she didn't. Robin pulled back and readied himself with for a low swinging kick. Starfire saw what he was about to do and got ready to jump and backwards flip, but a voice inside her head interrupted her, _be cautious_, it told her in an all too familiar voice. Starfire looked again at Robin and in a split second she blocked not a swinging kick as was the first impression but a pair of punches to her stomach area. Robin seemed a little taken aback by his thwarted attempts to trick her, but he didn't let the shock impact his fighting performance, and mentally shook himself out of his trance before Starfire landed a kick to his head. Starfire was doing very well in throwing kicks and punched his way, Robin had already reached the other side of the arena all the while dodging and blocking her attacks but he was inwardly smirking for two reasons; 1, he assumed that her improvement was all his doing and 2; he planned on winning this match. Robin was a proud man, in a way, to him; his pride came before Starfire's. Even though he cared about her more than himself, and needed her very dependently, he could never admit it to her.

Starfire had Robin nearly touching the side of the arena when the same voice stopped her once more; _don't get too cocky_, it ordered in her head. Starfire braced herself but never gave off the appearance of slowing her offensive, though she did pause. Robin noticed his chance and in one fluid motion, took out his Bo staff, planted it into the ground to propel him forward and up to hit Starfire with both feet at her head. It all came so quickly that he was surprised not to feel his feet make contact with anything rather than Starfire's head in a hit that would probably cause her to black out. Instead, he fell heavily onto her side. Starfire had seen what was coming and swung her leg down against the Bo staff. What happened after that was evident. The words, _know what the enemy plans to do next_, echoed in Starfire's mind.


	15. Chapter 15

**Now would you look at this, two chapters in what, two hours? Aren't I great? But please, just because I updated so quickly doesn't mean you only have to review for this chapter, please, if you haven't reviewed for the last one, go back and review now, I want to know what you think of each individual chapter, whether you prefer longer or shorter, action or romance, tell me what you think. I said it once I'll say it again, please review!**

"_He is not immortal at all. When the performance enhancer wore off, the last thing I did before I fainted was I uncorked the vial and replaced some of the liquid with sea water." Smiles appeared amongst the group. "I guessed that the ingredients were all measured out carefully, and my suspicions were soon confirmed when Slade explained about the vial when he came to steal it. The best part is that he now thinks that he is immortal and will take more risks and be more daring-,"_

"_And fall under a false sense of confidence," Robin interrupted._

"_And fall right into our trap," Cyborg finished._

_Normality was soon restored to the Titans Tower._

"_Little suggestion, don't follow in Beast Boy's footsteps. He runs into walls."_

_They had barely been in the arena for 2 minutes before Cyborg had BB pinned down. But as an unlikely turn of events, Beast Boy morphed into a kangaroo and booted Cyborg clear out of the ring._

"_Com'on Rae, show me what you got!"_

"_With pleasure," within moments, the kangaroo was being suspended high in the air by the back of his trunks and giving out painful screams as he struggled to get away. Raven was still smirking 20 feet below._

"_Ok, Star, you're up next."_

_Starfire had surprised everyone, including herself. Raven's magic had been broken before, but never manipulated._

"_Ok, Star v Rob, winner take all!"_

_A voice inside her head interrupted her, _be cautious_, it told her in an all too familiar voice._

_Starfire looked again at Robin and in a split second she blocked not a swinging kick as was the first impression but a pair of punches to her stomach area._

_The same voice stopped her once more; _don't get too cocky_, it ordered in her head._

_Starfire braced herself._

_Robin fell heavily onto his side. Starfire had seen what was coming and swung her leg down against the Bo staff. What happened after that was evident._

_The words, _know what the enemy plans to do next_, echoed in Starfire's mind._

Robin had not been injured during that match; he was just left winded and disoriented. He determinedly demanded to know how Starfire had managed to beat him so easily, he had asked her many times the following week and casually dropped it into the conversation whenever his mind wandered back onto the subject, and each time she replied that she didn't know what happened and casually enquired to know why Robin had gotten his Bo staff out in the 'hand-to-hand combat' match, at which point he casually dropped the subject and looked out of the closest window, casually.

The walk around the park had been postponed due to confusion after that match and the next time the pair tried to arrange another trip, the alarm went off and sent them into battle against Dr. Light who was once again attempting to unsuccessfully drain the city of all electricity. He had been beaten quickly but by the time, they were all tired and annoyed. The walk around the park, however casual and meaningless, had been set aside for another day.

That night, everyone went to bed late after watching a movie that Raven herself had suggested, but although everyone was in bed, no one was asleep.

Beast Boy chose to pass the time by reading a book as he was recommended to do earlier but quickly abandoned his attempts and tiresomely fell asleep.

Cyborg had set himself to sleep mode and easily enough, fell into deep sleep.

Raven meditated and thought of what relaxed her most, her perfect world, where Starfire stopped talking at her will, Beast Boy was her servant, Cyborg did gruesome tedious tasks and Robin said nothing and quietly sat in the corner. Everything was fashioned to her liking and everyone wore black. Soon she got bored and started to imagine black sheep jumping over an aged fence by a jagged eerie tree on a shadowed moonlit hill. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Robin was turning uneasily around on his bed thinking hard to blank his mind out but always ended up thinking of something, be it the movie he watched that night or simply the word 'blank'. Starfire on the other hand, was not planning to go to sleep any time soon.

She snuck out of her room quietly hoping that everyone was asleep and flew gently as if careful not to disturb the air. She was not heading to Robin's door like most would suspect if they saw her, she was going outside, taking the stairs rather than the elevator thinking that the 'ding' sound or the elevator music would wake someone up. (AN; I love elevator music! Woo!) She stepped outside and breathed in deeply basking in the fresh, if not _chilly_ air that surrounded her. She took flight once more and stopped at the window she knew to be Robin's. She tapped gently. There were some rustling sounds coming from within the room to suggest that someone had just gotten up. Robin pulled back the curtains. He saw Starfire and his mask moved as if his eyebrows furrowed beneath it. He opened the window wide.

"Starfire? What are you doing here?"

"I have come to serenade you from your windowsill," she replied.

"Oh," Robin said in return as if it was a very standard answer, "Well… could you serenade me quietly, someone might wake up." Starfire giggled.

"How about instead, we go the park as we have been planning to do for a week?"

"Now? What time is it?" he looked over at his alarm clock. It read _01:13. _"Well, ok then. Give me a moment to get changed," Robin closed the curtains and all that could be heard was a few more rustlings that sounded rather rushed. Within seconds, Robin pulled back the curtain fully clothed in his usual attire, "Ready?"

"Always." Starfire put her arm around his shoulders and he placed his around her waist and together they flew down to the ground. "Shall I fly us all the way to the park?"

"Nah, it's not that far away, we can walk."

So they walked across the bridge and all the way to the park hand in hand barely taking in the sights that they were passing and they would have been very happy to know that neither Beast Boy nor Cyborg and not even Raven saw them leave.

Robin and Starfire got to the park entrance and were inwardly relieved that no one else was there. Knowing that kind of people you'd see in a city like this, Robin was glad that he saw neither a huddled up group of hooded figures nor a sexual harassment in progress. Starfire was just happy that no one was there to report what they saw to the local newspapers or for rumours to start flying around. Robin and Starfire were left by themselves to do what they wanted, which, at that time, was just to stare at one another and drown in their happiness. They had really missed each other when Starfire was gone. At that moment, they were the happiest they had ever known themselves to be, and they thought that they wouldn't mind the whole world to freeze then and there so that they would never feel anything else again.

Robin and Starfire ambled further into the park to the swings. Starfire sat down on one while Robin pushed, she laughed gleefully, "Higher, higher!" she'd sing. Then, quite unexpectedly, Starfire flew off of the swing when she got to the peak of height and distracted Robin to look up at her, when the swing crashed into him and sent him flying back. Starfire had clearly not intended for that to happen and flew down to check up on him, where he declared that he was fine and they spent the next minute laughing and rolling around each other on the ground.

Robin took Starfire's place on the swing and Starfire took Robin's. Once again, Starfire had not intended to do what she did, she had not meant at all to push the swing so hard as to send Robin flying high into the dark sky, but hastily caught him in midair before any damage could be done. Afterwards, they left the swing set and instead sat down on the cold grass to stare at each other again.

"Robin, I am sorry for what happened."

"It's fine, really, that's what I call tough love," he muttered.

"Robin, tell me, when you were younger, did you really think you would be a superhero, a protector of a whole city?"

"No, I thought I'd be an astronaut. Or a tightrope walker for the circus."

Starfire laughed, but rather than joining in her laughter, Robin looked away sadly, "What is wrong?"

"It's just… my parents used to be tightrope walkers… they died in one of their acts."

"Oh, I am sorry, I did not mean to-,"

"Its fine, you wanna go on the seesaw?" he hastily changed the subject.

"What is 'the seesaw'?"

"C'mon, I'll show you."

They spent the next five minutes laughing and smiling as their hearts sang out happily unheard to any but themselves. Unknown to them, they were being watched. A shadow lurked unseen amongst the shadows in which it was hiding. A malicious smile plastered onto his face. He moved closer and closer.

Starfire's laughter stopped so that all that could be heard was Robin's. He noticed this and stopped abruptly, "What's wrong Star?" he asked with a cheery note in his voice.

"I think I heard something," Starfire replied looking over his shoulder to where the shadowed figure had just been under a big tree. Robin turned around to look at what she was staring at.

"Shall we go home now?" he asked with newly found concern in his voice.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere," the figure spoke out in the familiar voice that all had learnt to dread. He walked forth from the opposite direction of where Robin and Starfire were looking and their gazes quickly turned to him. Slade stood there, with an evil smile hidden yet visible from behind his black and orange mask.

"Slade," Robin hissed as both he and Starfire dismounted the seesaw.

"Glad to see you remembered," Slade retorted.

"What do you want?" Starfire demanded.

"Oh, why to congratulate you, my dear girl. You have served me well," he replied, "You got me what I wanted, although… you did try to escape numerous times. Sadly, I no longer see any use for you and you'll only get in my way, both of you, so I've come to finish you off."

"We're only getting started."

"Oh Robin, you've still got time for witty banter knowing both you and your girlfriend are moments away from death. You remind me very much of myself, though not as witty as the real thing."

"Do you ever stop talking? You like the sound of your own voice maybe a little too much." Slade narrowed his eyes and got into a battle stance, as did Robin and Starfire, "Or is that just another one of your robots in there?"

"I have no need for robots any more. Immortality's quite enough."

Starfire took to the skies while Robin and Slade walked around each other much like Robin and Starfire did for three whole minutes on the training day a week ago. "You know Slade, you shouldn't chance so much so often. Immortality's when you never die of old age, doesn't mean you can't get killed. You can beat death," Robin stated coldly, "But you can't beat me."

That was the cue to start fighting; Robin and Slade soon became a pair of fluid motions always on time with each other and neither making a false move, as if it was well rehearsed. Starfire floated above them, she knew not to interrupt so instead she chanced starbolts at the blur of motion that she thought to be Slade. Eventually, she got lucky and hit him square in his chest. "You know girl, you never cease to annoy me."

"Good," Starfire barked at him.

"I have an idea, I have been training you for over a month, now let's put your powers to the test."

With a click of his fingers, they were once again back on the island which had once again appeared on the surface of the water. Starfire stood facing Slade and Robin was chained by his wrists to a large boulder. "Robin!" Starfire called from across the stretch of land that separated them.

"I don't think it's Robin you should be worrying about."


	16. Chapter 16

**Hi everyone, I am so sorry that I took so long, but school's just started and already I'm getting 4 pieces of homework a day. Well here I am now, a couple of weeks late and _very_ sorry about it! I know it's a short chapter, but I will try my very hardest to get the next one up soon. **

**Oh yah, and thanks for all who reviewed, I feel special!**

"_He is not immortal at all. When the performance enhancer wore off, the last thing I did before I fainted was I uncorked the vial and replaced some of the liquid with sea water." Smiles appeared amongst the group. "I guessed that the ingredients were all measured out carefully, and my suspicions were soon confirmed when Slade explained about the vial when he came to steal it. The best part is that he now thinks that he is immortal and will take more risks and be more daring-,"_

"_And fall under a false sense of confidence," Robin interrupted._

"_And fall right into our trap," Cyborg finished._

"_Oh, you're not going anywhere," the figure spoke out in the familiar voice that all had learnt to dread. He walked forth from the opposite direction of where Robin and Starfire were looking and their gazes quickly turned to him. Slade stood there, with an evil smile hidden yet visible from behind his black and orange mask._

_With a click of his fingers, they were once again back on the island which had once again appeared on the surface of the water. Starfire stood facing Slade and Robin was chained by his wrists to a large boulder. "Robin!" Starfire called from across the stretch of land that separated them._

"_I don't think it's Robin you should be worrying about."_

Starfire turned back to face Slade and growled at him. Her face was screwed up with anger and her hands were rolled tightly into fists. Rage was literally glowing from her. With a sharp battle cry, she leapt into action, into midair, and with a foot straight into Slade's face. It would have made sharp and painful impact had he not pushed it away with his hand as if it were a mere fly. Starfire quickly sent another towards him but he ducked and left her flying forward about a meter before she regained herself in time for Slade to rebound with a high kick straight to her stomach.

Starfire fell right from the sky and backwards into a dip in a pile of boulders, or rather created a dip in a pile of boulders from the impact of her landing. Robin called out her name, but she didn't hear it, she was too focused on Slade so as to be prepared for his next attack. But nothing could have prepared her for his next attack.

As soon as Starfire was back on her feet, she was knocked back high into the air by a beam of red. She spun in midair vertically until she hit the bumpy ground and bounced once before lying very still. Too still for Robin to bear, but he was in no position to do anything about it. They had both known that Slade had the technology to create cannon blasters and lasers, and as they had recently discovered, teleporting devices, but his attack was just too unexpected for Starfire.

Slade was approaching her. "Starfire!" Robin called; he didn't know what else to say. He was badly prepared for this situation. Unable to do anything but watch as his more-than-a-best-friend was taking a brutal beating. _Surely there's something I can do to help!_ Robin thought frantically. His eyes lit up a bit as he started to stretch his hand out to his utility belt, just managing to be an inch short of reach. The chains were too tight.

Starfire forced herself up but not entirely. Just enough to see what he was doing, and glower as menacingly as she could muster. Slade did not flinch. He wouldn't have. He kept walking towards her at a calm pace and stopped two meters away. "So, girl, how do you want to die?" he hissed.

"Old and in my sleep," Starfire spat back and flew up into the air. Her fists glowed neon green as did her eyes. If looks could kill then Slade would be burning in the pit of hell and Starfire would be drowning in the desperate worry that Robin sent her way when he saw her back up for what he hoped wouldn't be another beating.

Starfire roared in fury and dived in for an attack. She threw her starbolts full force at Slade, each one hitting and creating a thin misty vapour, but none of them doing any damage. Slade stood there with his hands crossed in front of his smiling face and practically absorbed the attacks. As Starfire neared him, Slade unleashed an even more unexpected attack than the red beam, as she neared him; he leant back and delivered a hard hit to her stomach with his knee.

Starfire lifted higher into the air and breathed in a sharp gasp of pain. She didn't even manage to recoil before Slade kicked her to the side. She fell against a badly placed boulder with a dull thud and fell like a rag doll to the ground.

Robin couldn't bear to watch what was happening and gave all of his attention to the utility belt just out of his reach. He managed to hoist his chained leg up onto a crevice in the boulder behind him and in doing so, made his utility belt accessible. He pulled out a lock pick and started working on twisting his hand in such a way that he would be able to fit the pick into the key hole.

Slade didn't spare a glance at Robin in his time fighting Starfire, if he did then he would have known what Robin was doing, but he didn't because Starfire was keeping him distracted. That was her plan, because even though she hadn't seen Robin, unlike Slade, she knew his motives. Although she couldn't beat Slade, she knew that together, they could. Once again, she collapsed on the floor. This time she literally fell from the sky. In his hand, Slade held a blazing cannon fixed to the gauntlet of his suit. Starfire lay flat on her front with her head resting on her arms. She could hear the thumps of Slade's combat boots as he drew nearer.

"Fooling girl, you don't seriously believe you could defeat me?"

Starfire sat up onto her knees; she knew that Slade wasn't planning to hurt her now. This was his time for crushing his opponent's spirits. She refused to meet eyes with him. "I defeated that monster," Starfire mumbled to the ground.

"Even so, you couldn't have done so without my help."

"You were of no help to me. All you did was stick needles into me."

"And how well would you have faired against Robin had it not been for the advice I taught you and the training I gave."

Starfire's eyes opened wider but remained on the ground, "I take no advice from villains."

"You are wondering how I knew what happened that day."

"You used sedatives to make me sleep and while I was unconscious you experimented on me. You made me your spy."

"You see, we even think alike now."

"I am not like you," Starfire stated bluntly.

"Everyone I come into contact with me grows more and more like me the more we meet."

"I am not like you," Starfire persisted, "And neither is Robin."

"I tend to have a strong influence on people." Slade stood right in front of her now. He reached out his hand, "Even," he caressed her cheek, "people," he lifted her head up, "like," he pulled a loose strand of hair out of her face with his thumb, "you." She looked up into her eyes. "Freaks," he hissed. Starfire fell over onto her back trying to back away. She saw an almost hunger in Slade's eyes, "Aliens," Slade continued. Starfire edged back into a boulder. "Monsters," the word echoed through Starfire's mind. She knew Slade had been through her mind in one way or another during his experiments. She knew that Slade had found her most vulnerable moments, memories. "It is no wonder why Robin takes pity on you," Starfire looked back into Slade's eyes; the hunger was still there, "He is the same. He doesn't trust the world. It did too much to him. And you're not even from it," he finished off at a strange tone as if he meant to say more. Silence loomed between them. Starfire hadn't broken the eye contact and for some reason couldn't. Slade was feeding off of her; her misery, her heartache, off of her thoughts.

In all the time she had spent with Slade, she had not once trusted him. _So why should I start now?_ _He had poisoned my blood with unnatural liquids. He had forced me to fight against my will. He had kept me away from my friends. He had hurt me in _so_ many ways. _As those thoughts ran through her mind, she only grew angrier and angrier, until she only had one thought in mind; revenge.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello everyone thanks a million for the reviews, and not spearing me for the lateness of the last chapter. I have a heap of homework in my room that I'm really behind on. I know it's no excuse, you deserve quicker written chapter, longer too. So I'm really really sorry.**

**I doubt you would have noticed it but in my last chapter a quote from an anti-bullying poster inspired me for the last paragraph with the sentence, "They hurt me in so many ways." Very powerful words. **

"_He is not immortal at all. When the performance enhancer wore off, the last thing I did before I fainted was I uncorked the vial and replaced some of the liquid with sea water." Smiles appeared amongst the group. "I guessed that the ingredients were all measured out carefully, and my suspicions were soon confirmed when Slade explained about the vial when he came to steal it. The best part is that he now thinks that he is immortal and will take more risks and be more daring-,"_

"_And fall under a false sense of confidence," Robin interrupted._

"_And fall right into our trap," Cyborg finished._

"_Oh, you're not going anywhere," the figure spoke out in the familiar voice that all had learnt to dread. He walked forth from the opposite direction of where Robin and Starfire were looking and their gazes quickly turned to him. Slade stood there, with an evil smile hidden yet visible from behind his black and orange mask._

_With a click of his fingers, they were once again back on the island which had once again appeared on the surface of the water. Starfire stood facing Slade and Robin was chained by his wrists to a large boulder. "Robin!" Starfire called from across the stretch of land that separated them._

"_I don't think its Robin you should be worrying about."_

"_Everyone I come into contact with grows more and more like me the more we meet."_

"_I am not like you," Starfire persisted, "And neither is Robin."_

_As those thoughts ran through her mind, she only grew angrier and angrier, until she only had one thought in mind; revenge._

She balled her fists and clamped her eyes shut as she endured the filthy insults that Slade hissed at her. Robin, who had been working on unlocking the chains around his wrists, looked up to see her. He knew that look; Slade was digging himself a rut. There was no getting away from her when she was fueled by rage.

"You thought he had feelings for you?" Slade whispered, "Pity; that's what he felt," he added bluntly.

"Stop talking," Starfire muttered, her eyes still shut tightly, "I do not what to hear any more," she kept mumbling. "Stop talking now and leave me alone."

Her muttering didn't stop even when Slade continued talking, "You want me to stop talking? You think I'm lying to you?" Starfire's mumbling gradually grew louder the more Slade continued. "Well listen to this; I'm not," he hissed. Starfire shuddered inwardly and felt utterly disgusted as she felt Slade's hot breath against her face.

"I do not what to hear any more from you," she repeated, "You say nothing but lies," she was talking mostly to herself but now at a normal volume. She was trying to convince herself rather than Slade that what he was saying wasn't true.

"I have news for you," Starfire gasped as Slade slid his hand around her neck, "You won't have to listen to me for long." He lifted her up onto her feet and then higher still. Starfire opened her eyes to see the sky full of grey dull clouds. She could feel the blood pumping harder through her face. Her nose suddenly felt blocked and she had to use her mouth to breath. The air around her was accessible enough but renewed blood to her head was lacking. Her lips began to tingle and she wondered to herself whether they would burst as the feeling grew stronger. Her cheeks burned and her face felt more and more numb. The feeling grew more and more intense to the point that she wished desperately for it to stop, even if that meant she would die. She didn't know why she wasn't taking action and beating Slade up for what he had said. She didn't understand why she didn't dare move. Maybe it was because her blood-lacking brain wasn't functioning properly, or maybe what Slade had said had influenced her stronger than she had realized.

Starfire's eyes rolled sleepily upwards and her head lolled to one side. Her eyes shut and she exhaled her last breath. Slade smiled menacingly and loosened his grip on her, but before he could even drop her to the floor, he felt something hard hit his side and knock him to the floor, which nonetheless caused Starfire to fall. She hit the ground with a thump and remained disturbingly still on the ground.

Slade got up and picked up what had hit him. It was the chains that had only moments ago been tight around Robin's wrists. Robin stood in battle stance several feet away. "Get away from her," he hissed threateningly.

"You're too late to save her." Slade whispered, "She's dead."

Robin looked down at her sorrowfully, "No," he breathed.

"You can take comfort in the thought that she died knowing the truth," Slade walked calmly away from Starfire, keeping his eyes focused on Robin. "That at least she could hear the truth from me, even if you could never summon up the courage to admit it."

Robin ran to Starfire as soon as he knew that Slade was too far away to do any more harm. He collapsed to his knees at her side and grabbed her hand. He couldn't feel a pulse. "I told her everything you couldn't," Slade continued. Robin laid his hands on Starfire's chest and put pressure on it in hopes to get her heart beating again.

"I told her the truth," Robin's heart was beating hard and he was desperate. He mentally wondered why Slade was still talking. Robin bent over Starfire's head and raised it up. He pinched her nose shut with one hand and raised her chin with the other. He then gave her CPR. He wasn't listening to Slade, Slade wasn't his main concern.

"You never cared for her," Robin stopped. "You never felt any more than pity for her," Robin looked up wide-eyed, "You never loved her."

At that point, Robin sprang up leaving Starfire where she lay. He balled his fists in fury and got into his trademark battle stance. "Don't you _ever_ say that!" he shouted, "Don't you dare say I never loved her!" He approached Slade slowly.

"It's unkind really, to lie of your feelings to someone," Slade thought out loud.

"And what would_ you_ know of kindness?" Robin spat.

"I know the principles. I just follow my own set."

Robin screamed his anger and leapt to attack with birdarang in hand. It cut through the air but never reached Slade but instead bounced off of an invisible shield. "Like it?" Slade questioned. "It's new technology. A shield of such power, it could stop a stampeding horde of elephants."

In his fury, Robin threw whatever his hands lay on first from the utility belt, but his attempts were in vain. Slade chuckled inwardly. "There's nothing you can do. She's dead. Vent your anger as much as you like, but I will not let you avenge her."

Robin stopped. His heart ached right down to the core and his mouth felt dry and stale. "Not that you could," Slade added. "If your weakness wouldn't stop you, than my immortality would. You cannot avenge her. And it's too late to save her."

Robin collapsed on the hard ground and wiped a tear from his mask. Her looked over his shoulder and saw Starfire with her head turned away from him. Incautious to what Slade was planning next; Robin slowly got up and walked over to her. He turned her face up to the sky so that sun would grace her already cold cheeks. Looking down at her lifeless face, more tears streamed from his eyes.

"I could end your pain," Slade suggested. "Then you could be with her forever. That is, if she would accept your pity as love."

"I loved her. I always have, I always will," Robin tried to say but his voice failed him. He tried to say it again and they came out croaky and his voice faltered as he said those words that he knew to be true. He bent over and tried CPR again twice. It didn't affect her at all. More tears fell from his mask. He bent over once more, this time to plant a kiss on her lips. When he sat back up, his head hurt and his heart hurt even more. _She is dead_, he said to himself as if only just realizing. He balled over and cried angry silent tears into his arm. He never wanted to open his eyes again, if it meant he couldn't see her. He never wanted to hear another sound, unless it was her voice. He was on the brink of accepting Slade's request to end his life, but he knew he could never do that, it is not what Starfire would have wanted. The word revenge rolled around in his mind, making and breaking alliances as he considered it. _Not a bad idea_, he concluded spitefully, but was too weak and heartbroken to go through with it.

"You think a kiss will save her? This is a fairy tale to you?" Slade asked, "You are more foolish than I thought. It _is_ too late. But you can always save yourself." Slade reached out a hand, "Join me, and you shall be spared. What do you have to lose?"

"What about my other friends?" Robin asked not looking away from Starfire.

"What other friends? If they were your friends, they would be here, helping you. And yet you stand alone. You have always been alone."

Robin stood up weakly with shaking fists, he said nothing. He didn't see anything he could do, anything that could hurt Slade with all the pain that he felt, anything that could bring Starfire back. But he would not join Slade, not for all the suffering he had caused him, all the suffering that was yet to come. How was he supposed to tell the others? The Slade had murdered Starfire when they went out for a little walk around the park. He could always just… leave.

Slade stood impatiently and waited for Robin to say something, "I will not join you."

"You want me to end your life here and now?" Slade asked without the slightest hint of emotion in his voice.

"No." Robin stated bluntly.

He could always just leave, and they way he saw it, there were two ways he could _just leave._ He could escape the life he had made in Jump City; start a new life, away from the distraction of friends, and the hardships of losing them. He could pursue a life of a lone hero, lurking in shadows, devoid of emotions. Or, alternatively, for a life without any more hardships and suffering, he could just… end it.

His heart ached and yearned for another option. He could just return to the tower, face his friends. They may offer comfort; they may tell him he could have done more to stop Slade. But it would be better for them to hear what happened from him than from Slade.

Robin bent over Starfire and planted a quick kiss on her lips before slipping his arms under her legs and behind her shoulders. He lifted her gently bridal style and held her close to his chest. _She really is gone._


	18. Chapter 18 Alternative ending 1

**Hello my faithful readers, I can't thank you enough for all the support I got for writing this story. Honestly, if it wasn't for all of you and your feedback, I would have stopped writing this long ago, but it was because of you, and thanks to you, that I continued.**

**I wasn't entirely sure whether to do a happy ending or sad ending. Whether Starfire should miraculously come back to life for some elaborate reason or whether Robin should commit suicide or whether Slade will kill Robin, whether Robin asked him to or not. Well there are a lot of options here, each one all possible in the art of fanfiction. I actually considered the classical Romeo and Juliet scene, Robin will kill himself over Starfire and Starfire is actually alive and when she regains consciousness, she will find Robin dead and kill herself, but I really have no idea which to go for, so I've found a perfect idea.**

**I will write this chapter as the ending, I will be taking suggestions and requests for alternative endings. All you have to do is read through and then review saying very basically how you want to see it end. E.g. Happy but very angsty/ Happy but also sad/ Happy when you think about it but on the other hand – sad/ Tragic and chaotic with mass death, etc. **

"_Oh, you're not going anywhere," the figure spoke out in the familiar voice that all had learnt to dread. He walked forth from the opposite direction of where Robin and Starfire were looking and their gazes quickly turned to him. Slade stood there, with an evil smile hidden yet visible from behind his black and orange mask._

_With a click of his fingers, they were once again back on the island which had once again appeared on the surface of the water. Starfire stood facing Slade, and Robin was chained by his wrists to a large boulder. "Robin!" Starfire called from across the stretch of land that separated them._

"_I don't think its Robin you should be worrying about."_

"_Everyone I come into contact with grows more and more like me the more we meet."_

"_I am not like you," Starfire persisted, "And neither is Robin."_

_As those thoughts ran through her mind, she only grew angrier and angrier, until she only had one thought in mind; revenge._

"_You're too late to save her." Slade whispered, "She's dead."_

"_I could end your pain," Slade suggested. "Then you could be with her forever. That is, if she would accept your pity as love."_

"_I loved her. I always have, I always will."_

_He could always just leave, and the way he saw it, there were two ways he could just leave. He could escape the life he had made in Jump City; start a new life, away from the distraction of friends, and the hardships of losing them. He could pursue a life of a lone hero, lurking in shadows, devoid of emotions. Or, alternatively, for a life without any more hardships and suffering, he could just… end it._

_Robin bent over Starfire and planted a quick kiss on her lips before slipping his arms under her legs and behind her shoulders. He lifted her gently bridal style and held her close to his chest. She really is gone._

Robin turned to face Slade with a solid frighteningly blank expression on his face. "She's dead," he announced just loud enough to hear but nonetheless very clearly and bluntly. "I'm going to take her home. Explain what's happened. We'll give her a proper funeral. No one else will die today. You will leave us alone but we'll see each other again," Robin ordered.

Slade kept his face almost as blank as Robin's and nodded in reply before disappearing from the island. Robin stood for a moment staring at the space that was now void of a man who had second ago stood there. He wouldn't bother the Titans today. Robin looked up at the sun which just broke into the sky and graced the earth with light. Today wouldn't last forever and they will meet Slade again. But for now, there was news to be broken.

Back at the tower, the other Titans were just waking from a peaceful relatively dreamless sleep, completely unaware of last nights occurrences.

Beast Boy was cooking breakfast for five unbeknownst to him that none of them would be eaten. Cyborg was heading down the elevator shaft preparing to greet the new day with his friends. His friends wouldn't feel the same way about the new day in a few minutes. Raven was rolling in her bed half asleep dreading having to wake and find herself surrounded by irritating 'morning people' and plates of tofu. All in the tower were completely oblivious to the dark cloud that was about to rain on their day; the cloud that was slowly sorrowfully paddling by the bay of a sea of cold dark water.

"Good morning, Beast Boy," Cyborg greeted in a singsong voice.

"Good morning," Beast Boy replied in the same tone.

"Say, is Robin up yet, he said he'd help me fix up the T-Car," Cyborg enquired.

"Hey, how come I never get to help you with the T-Car?" Beast Boy shouted indignantly. That one sentence then launched into a long repetitive argument. Raven had heard it from upstairs and in her present half asleep state, chose only to ignore it. But upon finding that impossible, decided to go downstairs and end it.

"Remember last time you tried to help me with my car? It took me weeks to recalibrate the engine!" Cyborg shouted at the top of his voice, "And you don't even know what that means!"

The doors to the elevator opened and Raven entered the room. Cyborg and Beast Boy hardly noticed. "Aren't you two forgetting something?" Raven interrupted.

Cyborg and Beast Boy stopped talking. A moment of silence passed and neither of the two realized what Raven was talking about. "The breakfast?" Raven prompted.

Beast Boy went wide-eyed and shrieked at the sight and smell of burnt tofu eggs and bacon. He quickly took action in rescuing what was left of breakfast.

"Hey, where is Robin?" Raven asked.

"I don't know. I haven't seen Starfire either," Cyborg replied.

Just as he said that, a loud bang rang throughout the tower, the bang of a door slamming against the wall. Everyone turned to see bright almost blinding light flood into the room. Raven, Beast Boy and Cyborg shadowed their eyes behind lids and arms. The curtains hadn't even been opened yet and it was too early in the morning to have to deal with such brightness. But there in the doorway, a shadow fell down across the floor and once everyone's eyes were adjusted to the light, they say the figure clearly. There stood Robin with Starfire in his arms.

"Starfire!" cried Cyborg and along with Beast Boy jumped up and ran to them.

"Dude, what happened?" demanded Beast Boy.

Robin stepped forward. He was soaked with seawater mixed with tears; he had had to row from the island single-handedly in a small boat conveniently set against the bay. His costume was in disarray and his hair was matted with sweat and water. Beneath his tattered mask, set in skin and bone, were two blank, morbid eyes. He said nothing and his face revealed nothing.

Raven paled and shuddered and with a shaky voice murmured, "I… can't feel her aura," Beast Boy and Cyborg turned their heads to face her. Her eyes were wide and full of fear, "she's dead," she whispered under her breath.

Beast Boy and Cyborg turned back to face Robin and Starfire with the same fear in their eyes as Raven's. "She's dead?" Beast Boy repeated silently.

Cyborg was the only one not entirely paralyzed with fear. He drew closer to Robin and gestured that he was to take Starfire from him. Robin handed her over gently but said and did nothing.

Cyborg mournfully looked down at Starfire and carefully and solemnly set her down on the sofa. Her eyes were shut and her clothes were ragged and dirty. "Raven?" he softly beckoned.

Raven walked over and knelt by the sofa. She laid her hands above Starfire and tried to heal her. But it was no good. There is no curing the dead. By now there were tears streaming down her eyes. Her heart felt heavy and hard against her stomach. Everyone felt the same way. Raven lowed her hands to her sides and looked down. As she did so, everyone understood. It suddenly hit them. Starfire wasn't going to wake up.

After a moment of solemn silence, Cyborg turned to Robin, "What happened?" he asked. Robin was sitting on the windowsill looking back at everyone with mournful eyes.

"Where were you two last night?" Beast Boy demanded.

Robin took a moment to think about how he was going to tell them and with a deep breath, "It's stupid," he began. "We were annoyed that we never got any privacy. It was her idea; she went to my room and insisted that we go to the park at night, when nobody would see us." Robin spoke softly and slowly and his voice broke every now and again, but nobody could blame him. Right now, Beast Boy and Cyborg were beginning to blame themselves for what had happened.

Robin continued, "In the park, someone was watching us, Slade. He teleported us to that island and…" he had tears in his eyes now. "I should have stopped him," he said with a faulty voice. "I should have saved her."

Beast Boy and Cyborg took on the heavy-hearted feeling that everyone was feeling when they heard the pain in Robin's voice. It came crashing down on them that they had indirectly caused Starfire's death.

Beast Boy and Cyborg looked at each other, and then looked away at anything other than Robin or Starfire, "It's all our fault. We should have given you two more privacy," Beast Boy said to the floor.

"Yeah, you two had something special going on between you and we shouldn't have messed it up," Cyborg added.

Robin looked absentmindedly at Starfire and sighed. "Well it had to end sometime," he murmured under his breath.

There was a long and solemn pause, "She died in Slade's hands," Robin breathed. "Wrapped around her neck," he added silently.

He stood up suddenly from the window sill and started to walk away when Raven murmured something. Robin turned towards her and asked her to repeat what she had just said. "Slade didn't kill her," Raven spoke out more clearly.

Robin froze for a moment and then jumped to sit on the coach by Starfire. "What?" he quietly asked Raven as he caressed Starfire's cold hand almost defensively. "What do you mean?"

Raven looked up at Robin's mask, "I thought I sensed something the moment you stepped onto the island, but I'm not entirely sure. Cyborg, can you scan her?"

Cyborg sat down closer and ran his arm up and down above Starfire, "What am I looking for?" he asked.

"It shouldn't be too hard to find," Raven replied.

Cyborg continued to scan Starfire but just a moment later, he cried out, "Oh my God. That can't be." Cyborg paused in thought, "Blood poisoning?" Everyone furrowed their eyebrows to him.

"Starfire _was_ drugged right?" Beast Boy commented.

"Yeah, but _this_ is _ridiculous_! She must have had almost half a liter of drugs in her blood at one point. Slade should have known that that's a very dangerous amount of drugs!"

"What if that's how Slade wanted her too… go?" Beast Boy asked hesitantly. Robin and Raven were still both in shock and hadn't opened their mouths in a while.

"Maybe," there was silence as Cyborg considered this possibility, "But that would make her too internally unstable. She could have literally died at any moment. If he was planning to use her, he wouldn't have wanted her to die so suddenly."

"Then what was Slade thinking?" Robin questioned.

"There's still one thing I don't understand," Cyborg interrupted Robin's train of thoughts, "Slade must have drugged her recently, but I don't see any pinprick marks," Cyborg noticed.

Everyone looked at each of Starfire's arms in turn, "What's that?" Beast Boy asked pointing to the wound that Slade had caused all those weeks ago at the start of all this.

"That's where Slade had shot her," Robin answered.

"Wait a second," Cyborg lifted that arm away from Starfire's side and looked carefully at the wound. "This is it. This is where Starfire was drugged," he proclaimed.

"But why would Slade want to hide where he drugged her?" Raven asked.

"So that we wouldn't realize what he did until she was dead." Robin answered sadly.

"How could we have missed it before, during the blood transfusion?" Beast Boy asked.

"You know Slade, he can find a way to hide anything," Robin replied spitefully. "Everything he's ever made, said and done was always a thick tapestry of trickery and deceit."

"But isn't there anything we can do knowing how she died?" Raven questioned.

"The most we could have done was to pump her blood clean of drugs, but we'd need her heart pumping for that. We'd need her alive," Cyborg replied.

"Aren't there any kinds of machines that can artificially pump a heart?" Beast Boy asked.

"No," Cyborg answered dejectedly.

No one spoke for a moment, "I bet I can," Raven interrupted the silence. Everyone looked at her hopefully.

"I doubt this could bring her to life, but it's worth a try," Cyborg smiled.

As soon as that was said, the Titans took Starfire to the medical wing and hooked her onto a life support system. Cyborg stood by the heart monitor and as soon as he switched it on; a disturbing continuous 'beep' ran through the room, as well as shudders down everyone's backs. "Ok, let's get started," Robin ordered, "Cyborg, set up the blood pump. Beast Boy, get some of the TAM. 01. blood from the cooler. Raven, see if you can get the hang of pumping an alien heart."

Everyone set out on their tasks and, once done, they gathered around Starfire and began. Raven had to steadily pump the heart which turned out to have many more chambers than a human one. Cyborg set up the blood pump. It was new technology only available to those few who know of its existence. The tainted blood would be taken out at one point of Starfire's arm and new fresh blood would replace it a little further down her arm. After a few seconds, Cyborg removed the blood pump and broke the silence, "We have to stop now, that's probably most of the bad blood, anything else the body should take care of. Raven, keep pumping the heart though, she needs to be alive to for this."

Everyone stayed by Starfire's side and waited. After half an hour, Cyborg instructed Raven to stop. Instantly, the heart rate monitor went flat and a chilling tone sounded out. No one spoke, but looked down in defeat.

"Her body's not accepting the new blood," Cyborg said dejectedly. "She's really gone."

"There has to be something else we can do," Raven spoke determinedly though her voice faltered badly.

Without looking up, Cyborg replied coldly that there wasn't. Robin said nothing, and without a warning, Beast Boy jumped up and ran out of the room. Everyone in the room bowed their heads in morbid silence. "We'll give her a proper funeral in the morning," Cyborg said sadly.

In his room, Beast Boy was lying on his front with his head in the pillows. He felt terrible. He lay there, kicking the blankets occasionally and hugging the pillow tightly. He rose up to sit with the pillow in his lap, when he noticed something, the diary that he kept hidden in his bed. Looking at it hurt. Memories of the night of that emotional moment he and Starfire had shared came flooding back. Without any thought, Beast Boy picked up the book and flicked through the pages.

After moments in silent thought, Beast Boy's heart started hammering at an unnatural rate. He felt hot and cooped up and desperately miserable all in one sudden moment. He rose from the bed where he was lying and leaned closer over the little book to read carefully what it had written.

Beast Boy jumped up off the bed and hurried to the elevator but waiting for it to go up only made him anxious and annoyed. He took the stairs instead.

He ran through the main room where he found Robin, Raven and Cyborg sitting around the dinning table and staring, but not really looking at it. Beast Boy passed them without a second glance. He carried on to the hospital wing.

Starfire lay motionless but not quite peaceful. Beast Boy opened the book again and as he read the lines to himself tears appeared at his eyes and streamed down his green face. He blinked quickly to stop the flow but they wouldn't stop coming. He just didn't care. Starfire was really gone. All he could think about was her… and the little book where she kept the truth.

_I cannot stand it. I have lost track of the days I have been stuck here. I have read of a place called Hell in books of worship and this must be it. My friends, if you are reading this then I must apologize. I am truly, truly sorry for the trouble I will cause. But I cannot go on like this. _

_He is drugging me. I have seen the tubes in his bag. After he is finished with me, he will kill me. He keeps me locked in a cage with barely enough food to last me. I cannot use my powers and see no means of escape. _

_I am sorry that I cannot be stronger, if it was one of you in here, you would probably get through this. But I cannot live like this. My spirit is crushed and misery is all that replaced it. I am sorry, but I cannot live like this. I have to end this. _

_The tubes are by the wall. I think I can reach them._


	19. Chapter 19 Continued from 18

**Hello my wonderful readers and reviewers. I was a little surprised that some of my readers were getting confused about the ending. Please tell me if you're one of them, I'd like to sort all this out. But another time, for now, you have this chapter ending to read. **

**This is my second alternative ending, read it as if it was the next chapter from the first alternative chapter 18.**

**I am still taking suggestions and requests for alternative endings. All you have to do is read through and then review saying very basically how you want to see it end. E.g. Happy but very angsty/ Happy but also sad/ Happy when you think about it but on the other hand – sad/ Tragic and chaotic with mass death, etc. **

"_I don't think its Robin you should be worrying about."_

"_I am not like you," Starfire persisted, "And neither is Robin."_

_As those thoughts ran through her mind, she only grew angrier and angrier, until she only had one thought in mind; revenge._

"_You're too late to save her." Slade whispered, "She's dead."_

"_I could end your pain," Slade suggested. "Then you could be with her forever. That is, if she would accept your pity as love."_

"_I loved her. I always have, I always will."_

_Raven paled and shuddered and with a shaky voice murmured, "I… can't feel her aura."_

"_She died in Slade's hands… wrapped around her neck,"_

"_Slade didn't kill her."_

"_Blood poisoning?"_

"_Why would Slade want to hide where he drugged her?"_

"_So that we wouldn't realize what he did until she was dead."_

_Beast Boy noticed something, the diary that he kept hidden in his bed._

_I am sorry that I cannot be stronger, if it was one of you in here, you would probably get through this. But I cannot live like this. My spirit is crushed and misery is all that replaced it. I am sorry, but I cannot live like this. I have to end this. _

_The tubes are by the wall. I think I can reach them._

Beast Boy's throat quaked with emotion. He couldn't believe it. She was the last person he could ever see doing something like that. The others had to know what really happened.

He walked into the main room where all were seated as they were moments ago, all staring at the painted metal table. Without looking up or ever stifling his sobs, he dropped the diary to the table with a hollow thud and opened it to the correct pages. It was placed right beneath Robin's face, in the line of his stare. His mind registered it being there but he didn't really feel like doing anything about it. Seconds passed, and no one looked up. Robin's eyes jolted and started to steadily move along the page. As he read on, his eyes widened.

"No," he mouthed and then abruptly left his position by the table and rushed off to the medical room, all eyes were on him as he left.

Robin opened the door hard and froze for a moment before resuming his fast pace to the bedside where a girl as cold as ice lay. Tears renewed their paths across his cheeks and curved round the lines of his face caused by years of smiling. She was the one who made him smile; now she was gone.

Robin caressed her cheek gently and felt sincere pity towards her; pity, and love. The door opened again and in came Robin's friends. The looks in their faces… they understood. They know what really happened. A lot can be read from one look in the eyes.

"She… I still… why would-how could-," Raven stuttered. It was hard to say and even harder to understand.

"I never thought she could do this. I always thought she was stronger than that. Probably stronger than any one of us," Cyborg solemnly mused, "She was always smiling. Always happy no matter what happened."

"She came to Earth for freedom. The last thing she wanted was to be trapped again," Beast Boy muttered.

Without a word, Raven surrounded herself with dark spiraling energy and disappeared through the ceiling leaving an awkward silence afoot. "I'll… be in my room," Beast Boy mumbled and departed.

Cyborg walked over to the door and with his hand on the doorframe, looked back at Robin, "You gonna be alright?"

Robin didn't answer for a moment and before Cyborg turned and left, he murmured, "What do you think," more of a statement than a question.

He was all alone in the room, "It's not fair, Starfire. You can't do this to me," he spoke stubbornly; "You can't just disappear from me. You can't just make off and leave.

"You have no right."

A dead tear descended from Starfire's cold face and marked the pillow beneath her head. Robin reached out and wiped her cheek; then bent over and kissed her gently before standing up and leaving the room without looking back.

He swiftly walked away, his mind blank. It didn't even register with him where he was until he reached the roof. "It's not fair," he stated. "You can't do this," he cried. "What am I supposed to do without you!?" he demanded.

His words echoed across the horizon followed by a painfully silent interval.

Robin stood determinedly and walked over to the edge of the roof.

He didn't know what else he could do. He couldn't see any other option.

He had to end the pain – it was unbearable.

He wondered to himself whether Starfire felt the same way as she stood with her poison in her hand.

With one shaky breath…

Robin took a step towards the waves below…

And a single thought befell his mind

As he plummeted towards the water beneath him

_I can't live without you_

Before the pain that would inevitably end his life hit him, he blanked out.


	20. Chapter 20 Alternative ending 2

**This is the next chapter in my second series of alternative endings. The first ending was the one where Starfire died – end of story. The second one (this one) is an add on to that chapter and it is the happy ending. I'm not giving a flashback because this chapter was put up at the same time as the last; sorry if you wanted a flashback, but the last few lines of the last chapter should do fine as a flashback. **

**I am still taking suggestions and requests for alternative endings. All you have to do is read through and then review saying very basically how you want to see it end. E.g. Happy but very angsty/ Happy but also sad/ Happy when you think about it but on the other hand – sad/ Tragic and chaotic with mass death, etc. **

**Now on with the story!**

Robin woke. He hadn't expected to see what he saw when he woke; he rather expected never to wake again. But he did. The sky was dark above him, and his cloths were relatively dry. A twinge of sudden relief was followed by a heart-sinking jab to his heart as the memories of last night flooded back to him.

He looked forward to see the edge of the roof. Had he actually jumped the night before? Was this heaven? Shouldn't he be in hell considering he was the cause of his own death? But it was in fact, neither heaven nor hell, but a solid line between the two – the roof of the tower where he lived.

Robin allowed his head to fall back against the hard ground, he groaned at the pain he still felt. He was about to commit himself back to the act which he attempted earlier when he noticed arms around his waist. By his back, someone was curled up beside him. He took hold of one hand and noticed its tan skin. His heart leapt high.

Gently, Robin turned and sat up. There, on the ground of the roof of the tower where he lived lay Starfire; unconscious and with a look of pain in her face, but very alive.

He froze. He was confused and amazed but his heart sang inside.

_This damn well better not be a dream, _he thought to himself.

Robin caressed her noticeably warm cheek and smiled as she groaned. "Starfire?" her eyes flickered open and she looked up at him.

"Robin," she breathed. Starfire sat up and threw herself at Robin, she hugged him hard. Their cold skin and clothes felt amazing pressed together and Robin's frozen fingertips felt good running through Starfire's windswept hair. They were both confused but at that moment, nothing mattered.

"But how?" Robin breathed into her ear.

Starfire pulled out from the hug and sat with her hands on her laps, "Robin, when you died for me, they decided to restore my soul," Starfire slowly explained. "And seeing as neither of us could live without the other…"

"They restored mine as well," Robin finished. Starfire smiled widely and they returned to their hugging. The stars were beginning to come out and neither the cold ground against their knees nor the frosty wind against their skin could stir them from their embrace. "I died?" wondered Robin aloud. Starfire giggled and pulled out a bit, only to lead into a passionate kiss. Together, Robin and Starfire slept through the night, defying the cold that tried to disturb them and the rain that followed by lying close together under a blanket with their arms wrapped comfortable around one another.

The nightmare was over, as is this story.


	21. Alternative chapter 19 Alter ending 3

**This is my third alternative ending. I like it, maybe you will too. **

_I am sorry that I cannot be stronger, if it was one of you in here, you would probably get through this. But I cannot live like this. My spirit is crushed and misery is all that replaced it. I am sorry, but I cannot live like this. I have to end this. _

_The tubes are by the wall. I think I can reach them._

She was dead. How could anyone live without her? This devastating twist in their lives would stay with them forever. Every moment of happiness would be entwined with guilt that it couldn't be spent with her. Every second of grief and misery would be devoted to her passing. There was nothing more they could do; nothing more to say, except 'Goodbye'.

Robin woke in a cold sweat. He was breathing hard and fast and could feel his heart beating through his forehead. The room echoed in a chorus of gentle breathing and snoring. Looking around, Robin realised that he wasn't the only person in the room. He was sitting on the sofa in front of a large screen TV that showed only static and a small green arrow followed by the number 2 in one corner. By his left sat Raven curled up around the arm of the sofa with the green light illuminating the folds of her cloak. By his left of a separate arm chair sat Cyborg with his head bent back snoring loudly. On the floor was Beast Boy sprawled along the rug with a thumb in his hand that didn't quite stifle his snores. And then he saw her. Starfire lay with her head and her arms curled up on his lap. Her hair hung loosely by one side with the same eerie glow of the television. She looked at peace but was very alive.

Robin's eyebrows rose and fell as realisation slowly surrounded him. He sat dumbstruck and then eased into the moment, the feeling of comfort and relief.

It was just a dream.

**This is the ending that my English teachers have always loathed and hated and told us never to write, but I think in this situation, it's brilliant! I love it. Considering that I've written (and will write) alternative endings, I just thought I'd fit this one in. **

**Everyone seemed to want a happy ending, I gave you one and now you're satisfied, right? You know, this story could be twisted very interestingly. Why not experiment with it as I just did? Review saying briefly what kind of weird/amazing/wonderful/mushy/silly/mass death…y thing you'd like. Think about it, a WHOLE chapter dedicated and designed by you! You're name will even be on it! Try me, I'll write anything :)**


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